Matchbreaker
by Represent
Summary: Roy went off and proposed to some agreeable woman and Edward realizes he can't allow it to happen. So, he hatches a ridiculous plot to break the couple up and steal the groom before the "I do's". - RoyEd, AlWinry
1. Al's on Board

**Matchbreaker**

_Represent_

_Pairings_: Roy/Ed, Al/Winry, Roy/OC (not for long!)

_Summary_: Roy is getting married and Edward realizes he can't allow this marriage to go through, so he hatches a ridiculous plot to break the couple up before the "I do's".

_Author's Note_: I got sick of the sissy Edward that stands by and lets things happen to him when it comes to Roy. So, in a bought of rebellion against people that don't fight for the one's they love- I created this. I don't think Edward is one to sit on the sidelines when it comes to trying to get something he wants. Point in case: Philosopher's Stone. I'm unsure how long its going to be or if I'm going to write another chapter, but whatever. This was fun and silly - not meant to be taken too seriously. Edward is a bit more... dark and rash than normal. Morals kind of less so. I know this. I thought it was time for some Edward empowerment!

_Disclaimer_: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

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Roy Mustang was getting married. It had surprised me not only because I never thought he would - but because I found I wasn't okay with it at all. I had always liked him, but never felt threatened or willing to act. And then he had to go off and actually propose and get me pissed off. And the worst thing about this was the woman was a really nice person.

And I wasn't.

Which was why I knew she wasn't right for him - because I was. He wasn't a nice person, neither was I - we complimented each other because whoever said opposites attract was on crack. I was inherently a greedy person. I had wanted it all. I had wanted my mother back, I had wanted my body back - no matter the costs, and now that I had most of those things I was left puzzled as to what else I could throw myself at to obtain. I hadn't even realized I had set myself up until she had flashed a beaming smile and a dazzling rock on her finger to Havoc in the courtyard one day and I had known she had to go.

Everyone was in a buzz, mainly because they hadn't known that he had been dating her so the whole thing kind of came out of the blue. Also he was off the market - supposedly, which crushed a few dreams. None of them mine.

I had learned at a young age that limits didn't exist.

So started my game. I told myself I was doing him a favor - that I cared about him too much to sit idle and watch him make the biggest mistake of his life. I didn't care that she seemed perfect and sweet and kind because no one was that nice. I had been suspicious of her from the start. Her hands were too soft.

There was two ways to go about this. Both ways had low odds at working, but I was willing to try. I could either piss her off enough to get her agitated and by doing so, induce some sort of deal-breaker fight between the two of them. Whip up some tension, pull something dark out of her closet if she had any and parade it around innocently enough and watch what I set loose. Or I could seduce Roy.

Option two seemed simpler but in actuality was much more complex because while I wasn't too hard to figure out Roy had many levels and none of them were gay.

Yet.

I sighed, having grabbed census books from the library to try and find her family history, and walked into the apartment building that Al and I rented out. I slapped the volume on the dinner table, earning a reprimand for spreading shit and dust over where we eat from Al.

"What is that anyways?" He grumbled, chewing on an apple, leaning over my shoulder as I started flipping to the "C"s. "The census? What the hell?"

I said nothing, going down with my finger through the names.

"Cardenas…" I muttered to myself.

"You're looking up the General's fiancée?" Alphonse asked moodily. Ever since he got his body back he had been nothing but a great big jumble of sensitive emotions. He also constantly snacked. He chewed loudly for a moment. "He won't like that."

"I'm not gunna tell him."

"Why?" Al asked, seemingly not too upset - despite the moral reprimand. I wondered if maybe he was as interested as I was, before I tossed that one out the window considering I wanted to shove my tongue down Mustang's throat. Something that I was sure Al did not feel.

"Because she's too nice." I told him, "And I'm going to try and ruin their relationship."

I almost winced at how nasty that sounded, before I realized I didn't care. It was all part of the game and the collateral damage was the best part. The prize was the whole reason.

"_What_?!" Al screeched, spitting out the apple. I wondered if I had been too blunt. Alphonse had to know that I was attracted to Mustang, I talked in my sleep and lately my nightmares of mom had turned to not-so-nightmares of someone else. Alphonse had never mentioned it, but he knew.

"You heard me." I told him with a smirk, looking up from the volume.

"Brother! That's _terrible_! Why? Don't you _dare_!"

I didn't know whether to be annoyed or proud that he thought I could actually pull this off. There was no other reason why he'd be so outraged at me.

"Because she's not right for him." I started.

"She's _perfect_ for him!" Al retorted. I didn't pause.

"Because I like him more."

Al didn't refute that one and I knew that he knew that I knew he had heard me.

"Because I'm better."

"You're sounding almost as conceited as him."

"See? We're perfect." I replied cheekily, "And third - I'm bored."

Alphonse sputtered.

"That's not a reason!" Alphonse snapped at me, "Why don't you go find a boyfriend or girlfriend or something? Read up on alchemy! Visit Risembool! Winry is head over _heels_ for you - and you had to go and flirt with her last time and then leave without hardly a goodbye!"

I was a little surprised at his fury in that. I knew he had a thing for her, but to be quite honest it was hard not to flirt with a very curvaceous woman wearing only a black bra and cargo pants touching your thigh for hours at a time. But I did feel a bit shitty over that.

I returned my gaze down to the list of names.

"Tell you what, Al." I stated, "You do that instead and I'll just focus on this."

Alphonse let out a growl.

"You shouldn't have told me." He snapped, "I won't be party in this."

He turned from me, as if not wanting to even watch but I knew that he really deep down wanted to know more about her. He wanted to watch me tear them apart because who didn't love a bit of drama and despite the fact that Al and Mustang were friends they weren't _friends_. Everyone loves a good car wreck when you're not directly or indirectly involved - it's a guilty pleasure that no one admits. I could almost see the twitch of a smile on Al's face. Al was really good - better than Mustang - at manipulation. He had them all fooled, he had me even fooled at times, but he was far from the angel they thought he was. It was why I loved him so much.

"Why don't you go up to Risembool if you love Winry so much and elope?" I asked offhandedly, knowing Alphonse well enough to know he didn't want to talk about what I was doing right now. He would ask, pretending not to be interested, in a few hours before we went to bed.

"Maybe I _will_." He stated childishly, getting out the dishes for dinner.

"Ah-ha." I grinned, finding her name and flicking down along her information.

Al turned and looked at me and his gaze was decidedly indifferent, but his hand twitched in effort to keep himself from looking before he turned away again stiffly and started dinner. He tried in every way with his body language to make me feel guilty. His lips frowning into a disappointed frown, dimples and all. I ignored him quite well as I read.

Clearly he thought I should be doing something more meaningful with my time, resources, and brain. Like solving world hunger, or at the least coming up with some new brilliant alchemic revelation or theory. He had been getting more and more frustrated with my apathy towards the progression of ingenuity and technology in this country.

I had spent years dedicated to alchemy to the point where I had gotten bored of it. Theories and new arrays just piled up into bigger and bigger piles of things that I would never use or already knew. The books I hadn't read got sparse and in between and the ones that were new were written by idiots that ignored the blatant holes in their logic.

The rest of the day was spent with Al giving me a semi-silent treatment. It wasn't until I got up and announced I was going to bed that he finally spoke a full sentence to me.

"Are you serious about this?" He asked offhandedly, not looking up from where he was reading the paper.

"Yep." I told him.

"You shouldn't meddle, even if you like him. He's happy. You should be happy for him."

I frowned. That argument was lost on me. People only said that so they didn't look bitter. Everyone that had lost someone they loved to another said that - not because it was true. Because they were losers. They were not happy at all. If Mustang successfully got married through my barrage then I would not be happy - I would want him still if not more and would be pissed and depressed. And I may, finally, say that to him, so that I could still see him and talk to him after the wedding - only as friends, but the phrase wouldn't be one of cordiality. It would be an admission of defeat.

"I'm not happy for him." I told Al.

"But you should be."

I blew a puff of frustration his way.

"You love him then."

I was caught off guard, a rarity. Al and I shared the same brain basically.

"What?"

"The only reason why you feel obsessed enough to meddle with someone's life - someone that is very important might I add - is if you love him."

I didn't _love_ him. I had a weird carnal attraction for him. Whenever I was around him I wanted him, wanted his lips and his hair and his eyes on _me_ and on no one else - and his hands, oh, his hands on _me_. And his voice to murmur _my_ name into _my_ ear, and walk _me_ down the street on Saturdays. He could skip on the flowers and chocolates because I wasn't a sensitive little girl and skip right to the groping, please.

"Maybe." I admitted grudgingly.

"Then." Al sighed, sitting up, "I'll help you."

I hadn't expected that either.

"Nah, you don't have to. I've got it cover-"

"Shut up, Ed." Al sighed, "I know that you're going to do this with or without my permission and we both know that your track record for doing things clean and tidy is zero. With my help perhaps not so many people will be hurt. It's a lesser of two evils."

I grinned at him.

"Plus you're bound to get me involved in this one way or another without my say." Al sighed.

He had a point.

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I might not continue this, unless people actually are interested.


	2. Potential

**Matchbreaker**

_Represent_

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Step one. Assess the damage.

Just how much serious was Mustang when it came to marrying this woman? I refused to think that he was enamored by her - he had never been serious about anyone. He was the biggest womanizer I had ever had the pleasure of knowing in my entire life. Part of the reason why I had admired from afar had been leaning on this solid thesis and I had felt a bit rocky after seeing it proved false. Commitment was not in Mustang's nature. At least, I hadn't thought it had been. I wasn't often wrong.

Sure, Mustang had relationships before. I should know, I brought in flowers and little notes for him on Valentine's. They never lasted longer than a few months though. Nothing threatening. He was always the one that broke it off too. He always got on _my_ case for getting bored with things easily now - but he was the worst.

And then there was the woman in question. As far as I could tell she was pretty enough and nice enough. Strike that, she was gorgeous in a homely sort of way. Very warm and gentle. Just who was she? How come he liked her? He didn't seem like he would want such a domesticated wife. What brought about the need for him to go and tie himself down? Hughes had always been trying to get him hitched and he had never even given the idea a second glance. What did she have that I didn't besides the obvious? How could I show him that I was the better choice? I had contemplated this through the night - wondering where she had come from and how she had sneaked in on my territory without me noticing. Not that I had been on the alert, however. No matter.

No matter.

"Boss?" Havoc asked dumbly, staring at me as I moved swiftly through the sterile hallway. His head turned like a dog's following me as I moved past him and I provided a quick nod of my head, reaching out with metal fingers and clamping them over the butt of his cigarette. He hardly noticed.

I hardly came in here anymore after I'd been transferred. Well, not technically transferred but borrowed.

I snapped my hair behind my shoulder and kicked the side of his door as I moved into his office. He didn't look up at first until I had crossed the new carpeting and was leaning dangerously close against his desk.

"What, Fullmetal?" He asked, tiredly, glancing up and freezing and then frowning as he took me in.

For the past year things had been quiet. Drachma had started a war with its neighbor to the north, Ishbal was rebuilding with help from Amestris and Xing was a desert away. Without any war the military had been used for other functions. Quieter ones. Ones in which I didn't track down serial killers half a year away for a few months. In order to make me stop screwing with things in his personal staff out of sheer boredom, Mustang had sent me to the red light district to assist the police in cleaning up the drug dealers, gang bangers, and prostitutes.

I wasn't wearing my normal coat and black jacket, but kept the leather pants.

And so, clad from head to toe in questionable undercover clothes I smirked at him and looked into his eyes for any sort of sign. All I saw there was surprise, embarrassment, and there - deep down there - I saw a glimmer of something. Curiosity? I took it as hope.

He cleared his throat and leaned back from me into his cushioned chair, eyes narrowed and fingers steepled and he rubbed his lip with one finger with hardly hid interest. My own eyes were glued to the innocent action for a long moment. Patience.

"Why are you dressed like that?" Mustang managed after a moment when he realized I wasn't about to say anything with him rubbing his lip like that.

"This is how I always dress on work days." I told him blandly.

"Well, in future reference please spend five minutes to change into something decent before coming into my office."

"Why?" A strange coy smile spread across my lips, "Does this outfit _bother _you?"

If Mustang realized he was very close to being flirted with he didn't show it.

"Fullmetal - why are you here?" He sighed, turning his attention from me and shuffling his papers with too great of interest. I felt a bit of hope that I could pull this off - that perhaps there was some sort of attraction and he did his best to ignore it. The sudden rapt care he had given his papers so as not to stare at my ripped shirt made my confidence rise.

"You told me to report to you before we perform any dangerous stings." I told him with a shrug of my shoulders - my metallic one giving a whirling noise at the movement and Mustang's eyes flicked back up from his papers in surprise.

"Since when did you follow my orders?" He asked. Concern flitted across his brow, assuming that something had gone wrong or that I was about to do something stupid by the looks of it. He was right, since he had given me that order I hadn't told him much of anything.

"Uh-well." I stated, "You know - it's a -"

"Well?" He prompted.

I let out a breathe and I leaned forward.

"You proposed." I told him, leaning over his desk and tipping back the frames to see the pictures. There weren't any of her and I was comforted in that fact. I ignored the look Mustang was giving my head as I looked over the one of Hughes and the one of me and Al. He had one of me on his desk and not her. I pulled back with a beaming smile.

"I did." He told me finally, having scooted back when I suddenly had taken over his desk and was giving me a very suspicious glare. Apparently he didn't think my beaming smile was warranted for his impending marriage and was unnerved by it. I could tell by his twitching finger.

I couldn't bring myself to be mad and my smile turned into something a bit darker - one that he seemed uncomfortable to see.

"Congratulations." I told him.

"Thank you." He told me.

We stood there in strange silence, his contemplative frown against my breezy smile - faces only a foot apart for maybe ten seconds before he leaned forward. _He_ leaned forward - near _me_. I had to fight to keep my smile from twisting and my eyes dropping and turning heated - my hand clamping the edge of his desk where he couldn't see to keep myself from meeting him halfway.

"Is that all you came in here to tell me?" He asked me, "It's hardly new news."

"Yep." I managed out, glad it wasn't a squeak.

Oh-

"And I'm finally getting inducted to the Black Knights tonight - getting inside intelligence." I tossed out, spinning on my heel and moving to leave before he whipped out his hand and grabbed my arm.

"Wait, Ed - The Black Knights?" He repeated, "The gang?"

"That's the one." I told him with a cheeky grin, searching for any kind of concern, something deeper that said he cared about me more than as a subordinate. The Black Knights were the biggest drug related gang in Central and had a reputation for being violent and territorial. Most gang-related deaths were associated with them in some way or form. Mustang knew this.

He frowned, not liking the idea and his eyes suddenly were trained on my clothing with more intensity- obviously starting to realize just what it implied and not comfortable with it.

"Isn't there some other way besides joining?" He growled, flicking his eyes back up. I couldn't help but grin smugly the whole time he had been looking me over. Didn't he realize that I wasn't fifteen anymore? I could drink all I wanted, I was legal in every possible way. At twenty-two I was not a kid anymore. The look in his eye told me he was starting to realize this.

I placed my hand on top of his where it was setting on my automail arm and I felt his hand clench a bit at the feeling and I wondered if I was pushing it a bit to far. Backing off a bit I used my hand to rip his off of my arm. I looked nonchalant to the fact that our hands had been touching for a few seconds longer than needed. I wanted those hands, but I had to go about this delicately. It, admittedly, was a skill I did not possess. Something that Mustang was better at than I.

Good thing I had Alphonse on my side.

"Of course." I told him, "But its easier and more fun to join."

His face was unreadable for a long moment and I was sure that he was going to forbid me to do it - I wanted him to order me not to go near that gang. When I was younger I hated him for always lecturing me about getting into dangerous situations and had never really realized how much I loved it - and hated it - when he tried to protect me. Instead his face resolved into one of defeat as he took back the hand I had thrown off.

"Just be careful." He murmured, turning back to his papers. I felt a wave of fury resound through me. Be careful? That's _it_? I told him I was going to be inducted with rapists, drug dealers, and murderers and he just warned me to be _careful_? I paused for maybe a moment on the threshold, quivering, before I regained my composure.

"Will do." I managed and, when I knew he was looking, sauntered my way out of his door - giving him a very nice view of what he would be missing come two months.

Well, it hadn't been a complete loss, I told myself as I jogged down the front steps of the building - ignoring the looks my attire was attracting. I had a fake nose-ring in place and tattoos scattered up bare arms.

Mustang didn't keep a picture of her on his work desk. That had say something. He also, on some kind of level - be it subconscious or not - had given me the impression that perhaps this could be possible. He had grabbed me not the other way around. And that look when he leaned over his desk wasn't parental.

Potential. There was so much _potential_. I couldn't believe that he was getting married. I couldn't believe that he didn't feel the same way on some level. Especially not after that little meeting. I felt another wave of jealousy coil through me as I turned down the street past the gates and I wondered how in the world that wife of his was going to keep his attention. He crackled and hummed with danger and mystery and ambition. There was no way that anyone nice enough to bring cookies for the whole team would be strong enough and interesting enough to stand by his side. To be able to handle him.

I cracked my flesh knuckles against my metal ones.

I had to fix this.

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Review, please.


	3. Domesticated

**Matchbreaker**

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"There's nothing."

I couldn't accept it. Couldn't.

Alphonse sighed softly, shifting a bit as he ducked and moved down the next line of books. I stared blankly at the pages in the census. All that was there was her name and then two blank lines and then the next Cardenas on the third line down - address, phone number, previous husband, all were void white spaces.

"There's absolutely nothing in here on her." My eyes narrowed, "Her name, and that's it. Not even where she lives."

"Good." Alphonse grunted, "That way no crazy half-metal state alchemists can track her down."

I huffed.

"Be serious, Al." I snapped, slapping the book shut, "_Nobody_ has _nothing_. Even we have a hometown. You can't simply wipe away a background like that. Something's up. Are you even listening to me?"

There was a muffled noise and I watched as my brother disappeared into the next row, purposefully avoiding me. I slumped into the table, a bit at a loss of what to do next. Alphonse had told me that the smart thing to do would be to plan this out so that things don't spiral out of control. Well, how could you plan if the woman in question had to be so insufferably inaccessible? I tapped my fingers along the spine of the census and frowned thoughtfully.

"Maybe she's not from here." Alphonse stated simply as he wound his way around the long end of the aisle with another book in hand and found his way back to me at the table, "Or maybe she's in the military."

I gave him a look that said he was being stupid and he knew it.

"If she was from another country her name wouldn't be in the census in the first place, and if she was in the military she would still have _something_ in here."

"True." Alphonse muttered.

I let out a puff of a sigh, letting my head hit the table. It wasn't the first time we had been stumped, but to be stumped by a woman of all things was enough to make my teeth grit. Mustang's woman, much less.

"Maybe there's a file somewhe-"

I blinked against the wood, eyelashes slipping along the filmy surface before my head popped up and I found myself face to face with Mustang who was frowning down at the two of us suspiciously. My left arm automatically moved to cover up the spine of the census that I was lying on top of and I watched Al shifted a bit, tucking his own book under his armpit.

"Hello, sir." Alphonse managed out chipperly, flashing a beaming innocent smile. God damn - that kid was a remarkably good liar when he wanted to be. I think the fact that he hadn't been capable of facial emotions made everyone a little more sympathetic now that he actually had a smile now anyways. I watched Mustang's stiff form slump a little at the onslaught of cheer.

"What are you two doing in here?" He mused.

"Nothing."_Looking up your mysterious fiancée who's been omitted from society_.

My eyes connected with his and he glared me down while I courageously tried to battle back. Suddenly his hand whipped out and grabbed the book I was lying across and I protested, ripping it back before he won and he flicked it open, glancing down at the list of names.

"What exactly are you doing sticking your nose in the census?" Mustang gritted. "Don't you have to have my permission to go through these files?"

"Well-" I started, preparing myself to tell him that I had forged his signature, like I had done in the first place, but Alphonse beat me to it.

"Oh no, sir." He beamed, "We were just trying to see if Russell's address had been moved. I needed a consult on the organic research I've been doing."

Alphonse showed Mustang a book on herbs that he miraculously pulled out of his ass for all I knew.

Mustang blinked and he looked at the census in his hand again, no doubt looking at the date. It was recent enough not to be too suspicious, thank God, and he frowned and chucked it at me again. Al and I both knew Russell lived down in the east side of town, but Mustang didn't know that. His eyes darted between the two of us as if he could smell something was up but had no real proof or didn't want to find out in the first place. Like a wolf. A very sexy wolf. If I wasn't scared shitless that he was going to catch on to the fact that we were looking up his fiancée I might have taken a moment to admire his features when they were all furrowed trying to figure me out.

He smelled like spices, I noted, and was standing a bit closer than normal. The whisps of his blue jacket were whispering across the edge of the wooden table and I could hear every breath he took. I wasn't sure how to take that, trying to keep my face straight and not suspicious, not realizing that by keeping my face as still as possible I looked the most alarming.

His face then cleared and he obviously had decided not to be bothered by our strange little side adventures.

"You better not do anything that kills someone or gets me in trouble." He ordered, spun and moved back across the library to the desk where he picked up some files from the attendant and moved out without a second glance.

"Jesus Christ." I breathed out with a breath I hadn't known I'd been holding, "Next time we're hiding in the back."

"Why not just check the books out?"

"Because he'll know which one's we've borrowed, Al." I whispered, as if he could still hear me, "He can check the records. We have to be more stealthy."

Alphonse snorted, putting the book on herbs onto the table and I nearly hugged him.

"You were _brilliant_. Where'd you learn to lie like that?"

"It's not so much lying as keeping a straight face." Alphonse mumbled, "Which I've had lots of practice in." He frowned a bit then, sniffing a little, "And I've been looking for some new herbs for dinner tonight anyways…"

I didn't comment on that, knowing that it didn't matter what I did or that I had gotten him back - the time Alphonse had spent as a tin can had left a damaged hole. I swallowed instead and gathered the books back, putting them in their places after a moment as Al did the same. He kept the botanical book, however, checking it out.

"If he actually checks to see what we borrowed it'd be good to actually stick to our story…" He mumbled under his breath, "But I doubt he will. He's too busy to care that much about what we do."

I sighed. I wished he cared about what I did a lot more than he apparently did. I liked to think that perhaps he minded what I did enough to worry just a bit over me, knowing it was a stupid wish. Knowing that as soon as I got my wish I'd rant and kick him to stop being such a fucking mother hen and then go back to missing the attention the moment Mustang relented. Fucking_ love_. Stupid.

"Come on." Alphonse sighed, "Helping you sucks."

I gave him a little grin.

"Yeah." I admitted. He glared at me a little before he sighed, features softening and he peered down at me with a bit of endearment. A flicker of love and he patted me on the shoulder - making me glare. He had been doing that a lot lately and it was starting to piss me off. He was only several inches taller than me as it was.

"Yeah." He stated a book tucked under one arm as we walked arm and arm down the steps, "Stupid, reckless, brother."

"Not stupid." I mumbled.

"No." He agreed, "But reckless."

I didn't try and argue that point as we wound around the street.

"I have to stop by the market and pick up some vegetables." Alphonse stated absently after a long moment as we had been plotting simultaneously together in silence. I glanced up at him and then down across the street and simply nodded, my eyes flicking to the happy couples that were fawning over the glittery stones in the windows along the pathway and I frowned. The thought of him buying _her_ a ring made me sick.

What was a ring anyways? A stupid piece of metal. I could make a ring in two seconds and it would be ten times more intricate than any of those and yet it still wouldn't mean anything, not unless he gave it to me. I resisted snorting. As if I wanted him to buy me a ring anyways - all gody and sitting there on my hand like a sign that said I was _his_. Oh god, how I wanted to be _his_. I wanted him to want me and to hold me and to fret at the window of the stores and peering at all of those little scraps of metal wondering which one I would like. But I didn't want him to _know_ I was his. I wanted the thought, but was scared of the commitment. I would not be domesticated! Fucking _love_.

I watched the soon-to-be wives as Alphonse moved into the store and I waited outside. They all tittered like drunk birds, clinging to the men's elbows like they would die if they so much as were alone for a second. Their lips peeled back in a smile that seemed to never end and their eyes wide and innocent. They blushed at _everything_. Even if it wasn't embarrassing, they blushed. I didn't blush, I didn't titter, I didn't cling. That was my problem, I supposed. I never would do any of those things.

No, I corrected, you would do them if it was what Roy wanted you to do.

Maybe.

Yes.

I rubbed my metal fingers together, and ran the tip of one of them along the base of my flesh ring finger - tracing an invisible band. It wouldn't be too heavy - not if it was what he wanted. I frowned sullenly.

"Ready?"

I glanced up at Alphonse who was balancing a lot more than just vegetables on his hip and I nodded, grabbing the book from him to give him both arms before we started off again and I didn't look back at the giggling girls but instead straight down the street at the setting sun. Another day gone, another day I hadn't achieved my new goal.

"I'll have to figure her out by messing with her." I concluded, "Much harder, but doable."

Alphonse frowned, glancing at me from above the leaves of lettuce and baguette. I could see he was going to make spaghetti tonight and it sounded really good to me for some reason. Despite feeling down at the marketplace I had found some kind of newfound optimism that made me grin and made Al roll his eyes. He had seen that look before.

"Go straight to the source of the problem." I smirked, "None of this detective shit."

Alphonse sighed skeptically, but didn't try and dissuade me.

"Just be careful, brother." He advised, "Women are not as easy to read as you are."

I frowned, "Winry is."

"Yes well." He stated, pulling the door to the apartment open with his foot and moving inside, "Winry is a lot like you. Hiding love behind hate."

I realized when he said that how ridiculous that sounded, and how true it really was. And not for the first time I realized the sad little note of jealously in his voice and I knew that he was mad at me for loving someone besides her and for breaking her heart when he would do anything for her. I frowned a bit, realizing how we were simply reflections of each other, only Alphonse was much too tactful to try anything nearly as rude or outlandish as I was doing. I felt a wave of frustration run through me as he dejectedly set the book down on the kitchen table and I wanted to shake him and make him stop making me feel so goddamn _guilty_ for being attracted to my superior officer, for not being able to control Winry and make her love _him_ instead of me.

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Review!!!


	4. The First Encounter

**Heartbreaker**

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"Hey, Winry. It's me."

"Ed?"

"Yeah."

"Oh hey! Nice to hear from you - I was beginning to think you were dead or something."

"Nope still alive."

"Automail?" Her tone darkened three notches, which was an impressive feat considering her tone had already been dark enough. The suspicion was etched.

"No! I just wanna talk. God, woman!" I snapped. I glanced at Al who was making hand gestures at me that seemed to either mock me, tell me off, or urge me to continue. I was confused for a moment and I gave him a pointed look, shrugging and holding the phone off my ear as she shrieked.

"-ell _sorry_ you ass! You have never called just to_ talk_ so what the hell was I supposed to think?!"

I wondered how we had started shouting at each other so fast and the notion that Alphonse was convinced she was in love with me seemed ridiculous. As I pondered over this Winry was just about done chewing me out.

"-never write or _anything_! And then you just pop up and expect me to magically make everything better - well you know _what_ Edward?! I-"

"So, Winry." I interrupted quickly, hearing her voice start to go squeaky like one of those toy birds and I knew she wasn't really meaning half the words, she was just screaming to scream. There was always a point where our screaming matches turned into pure nonsense. Where we just did it for something to do since most of the time I was in Risembool in the middle of east-Jesus nowhere without a leg so I couldn't even run to escape her.

"-ucking break all my stuff all the time, I bet that's what you're going to say! That you want me to come over there or something and fix it. You know what? You're dead _wrong_ beca-"

"Winry."

"-an get a mop handle for a leg for all _I care_.."

I held the phone out again and I rolled my eyes as hard as I could in exasperation. Girls. I could practically choke on her hormones as they flooded through the line and I moved to hand the phone over to Alphonse, a little tired of trying to talk to her. Al had insisted I call her so we could talk. I hadn't talked to her in months. I had told him that _he_ should be the one to talk to her since he liked her so much.

However, Al's lips went into a white line and I took the phone back as he crossed his arms. Fine, _fine_.

"_Win_." I groaned.

She stopped instantly when I cut in and continued onward without a hitch.

"What?" She grumbled, "Are you really… just calling to talk to me?"

Whoah. Caught off guard. She sounded like one of those tiny porcelain ballerinas. It was disarming and creepy at the same time and I didn't know what to say. I felt like I could break her if I told her that, no, I didn't want to talk to her really but Al had forced me to check up on her because he knew she had a thing for me.

I mean, don't get me wrong. We were friends and I liked chatting, I just didn't like talking over the phone for five hours about the weather or Den. Or worse, my automail. And that's always what the subject landed too because we were done chasing murderers so she couldn't tell me to be careful or chew me out and I was done growing so she couldn't plan to come over to readjust my limbs.. So we fell into an uncomfortable roundabout way of talking that got nowhere and left me drained.

"Yes. I am." I told her. "I haven't talked to you in awhile and.. I was just, you know."

I shifted a bit against the wall and Al gave me a thumbs up, probably convinced things were okay since she wasn't screaming at me anymore and he moved out of the kitchen somewhere. I was sure he was still lurking, and I glanced out the hallway expecting his ear to be against the wall, not finding him there. I frowned.

"Oh really? Well, I've missed you."

"Yeah." I replied. "I missed you too." Not in that way, but it was still true enough.

"What are you up to?"

"Actually-" I paused, "Not.. Much."

"Liar."

"No, really." I said.

"What _nothing_?" She mocked, but it was a fond mocking. The same kind of tone I used on Mustang, which made me uncomfortable because I knew what it meant and how it felt and I felt sorry for her. Suddenly I felt like an ass. "You're never up to _nothing_, Edward Elric."

There was a certain amount of pride and I felt embarrassed that she actually thought that highly of me.

"You can hardly stand still for one day. I should know. You complained so much when I had to fix your leg."

"Yeah well." Good, the past. I was okay with this train of the conversation. "I had something to do back then, you know. A goal."

"Right, how's Al by the way?"

"He's good. He's here. Do you want to talk to him?" Say yes, please.

"In a bit."

I slumped.

"Alright."

"So, you're still in the military right?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Well _excuse me_ for not knowing. You jump around so much all the time and I have hardly talked to you in a _year_. Don't they have you chasing people around or something?"

"Actually they do." I told her, spilling. I told her about how Mustang had moved me to another company and how I worked in the darker district. How I was catching the prostitutes. It was all rather exciting. Her voice got tighter and tighter and actually rose an octave when I told her about the prostitutes.

"You better not be-"

I had anticipated this.

"No." I answered quickly. I'm gay and you don't even realize it. Well, bi. I could appreciate the gentle curves of a woman. They were something that I would like to sculpt or run my hands along or admire naked not for sex's sake but for beauty and the graceful smooth watery feeling. But their laughs and their emotions and their little titters and uncertainty was enough to make me grit my teeth. Being in an actual relationship with a woman was enough to make my hair stand on end. And while I liked feeling like I was protecting someone, that's what I had Al for.

"Good." She grunted, "Who knows how many of them have gonorrhea or something."

"I actually dress up like one sometimes." I told her.

"_What?!_" Her repulsion was laced with interest. I wondered if I should have told her that, "Gross, what do women come and -" Her voice trailed off and grew dangerous and taut like she could murder anyone who dared to flirt with me from over seven hundred miles away.

"No. Mainly men." I said casually, curious for her reaction.

It didn't come for a whole thirty seconds before.

"That's… weird."

"Yeah." I said.

She was silent again.

"So.." I trailed, "What are you up to?"

"Oh. I got a few people coming in tomorrow for fittings and stuff." She said. I could almost see her picking at her nails all smug with herself at the fact that her business was doing okay. I was kind of relieved.

"I thought with no wars going on people'd stop getting their arms blown off."

"No, Drachma's closer than Central and they have a lot of people coming in."

Of course. I wondered that if the Amestrian government knew that people were sneaking their way through the border to get fitted by Winry and go back into Drachma if they would be upset about it. Probably. There was always a shaky peace between the two.

"Hey, Ed?" She stated softly, knocking me out of my thoughts.

"What?"

"You know.. I guess… What you're doing is helping people and.. I'm glad, but.. Well, what I'm trying to say is.. Please just, be careful and. Don't forget - I mean. Just call me okay?"

Damn.

"Alright." I told her, "Will do, ma'am."

"Now let me talk to Al."

I reluctantly went to find her. The girl really knew how to make me feel bad. I sighed, poking my head around the hallway and not finding him.

"Hang on a second." I told her, setting the phone on the table and searching for him. It took me a few minutes of going through each room before I found him lying face first onto the bed and I faltered. What was he asleep or something?

"Al?" I intoned.

"Yeah." He stated, so glum that I wanted to do something really stupid just to make him smile and laugh at me and tell me how stupid I was for doing something so stupid. Stupid. I wish they would just get together already because I hated feeling so god damn guilty all the time around the two of them.

"Winry wants to talk to you."

He poked his head out of the pillow.

"You guys talked for a while." There was a strange tone of jealousy in his voice that startled me.

"Well, yeah. I told her about me pretending to be a prostitute and she nearly killed me."

He gave a chuckle that was a lie before picking himself up heavily from the mattress and brushing past me.

"Hey just, you know, work your magic." I said, but got no reply and when I looked at his pillow I noticed the wet spots. Shit. I rubbed the back of my head. This whole month was like a roller coaster ride. First Mustang had to go and get himself hitched, then his fiancée had to be sweet and bake cookies and then Winry had to talk to me like that and then Al had to hate me for letting her talk to me like that…

I groaned, massaging my forehead as I heard Al's chipper voice from the kitchen. It just wasn't fair. No one loved the right person in this crazy crazy world and I guess it was just up to me to try and set the score strait. And while Mustang was delicate, he was nothing compared to a woman. Nothing compared to the woman that could take away two of your limbs and leave you a gimp if you broke her heart.

When I moved back downstairs I watched Al out of the corner of my eye as he paced back and forth and clung to the phone like a dying man clung to his last chug of water. He swirled each word of hers in his mouth like he had to taste every syllable, every single illteration that she managed to toss at him and he savored it before swallowing it, parched for her. She was so far away from him and I could smell the despair waving off of him so hard that it could have knocked me over. He was starved for her. It was so easy to see that. I knew that I had to help him. It was like I was saving him all over again, but this time it was his heart and not his body.

"Al, I'm going to go out for a bit."

The least I could do was give him some privacy to enjoy every moment with her while she was willing to speak with him. A part of me was frustrated at her for not seeing what she had right in front of her. Alphonse was a better man than me in every sense. He was kinder, more willing to help out someone in need, softer, gentler.. he knew what she was feeling and he respected her in ways where I just grew annoyed. He had a certain compassion that I didn't possess and despite the fact that he could be as gentle as a lamb he could also kick your ass. And would kick your ass.

I doubted he even heard me. Or if he did he ignored me. I could see by the taut lines of his back that he was mad at me. Maybe not _mad_ at me, but certainly upset with me. Probably for telling her I was dressing as a prostitute, but the only other lines of questioning that I could answer were what I was really up to right now. Which, I would have had to tell her that I was planning on pissing off Mustang's new woman and making him want to kiss me instead. I know that Al was glad I hadn't blurted _that_ out.

I just needed to give him his space for awhile until he stopped aching. It was weird how I could see him hurting and not really understand it. Sure, I ached for Mustang all the time, but in a very different way. In the way where I physically hurt because I had to clench everything in my body to keep from touching him or brushing his hand, or grabbing him closer to me. Sometimes after I had to talk to him for extended periods of time my jaw would be sore from trying to keep my tongue from fantasizing what he tasted like. I had always imagined something like cinnamon and spices. Or maybe fire. Could fire have a taste? Something sooty and heavy and strong, but tangy and dangerous at the same time.

I had never felt despair over him. Not even now, not even that I had a date that he would be lost from me. I didn't feel like Alphonse in the way that I had to cry into my pillow because I just.. I didn't feel trapped I guess. And while it was different in the sense that I didn't have to live with the woman Mustang was in love with - I guess I just felt like I had time to right the wrong. I had exactly twenty four days to be exact. Soon to be twenty three.

I wound my way down the front steps and onto the main street where the bustle had started to die down. It was nearing sundown and the pavement was cast in a strange reddish light that reminded me of him and I took off to the right simply because I felt like turning right. Right felt nicer than left right now. I really had no real plan other than to kill time and amuse myself until I was sure that Alphonse was done glaring at me. I kind of wanted to stay out all night and come back when he was asleep because I just felt weird walking back in the house after witnessing something so personal as him actually crying. Not that he knew I had seen the spots on his pillowcase.

I shoved my hands into my pockets and took off at a meandering pace. It was odd since I usually walked with a purpose. When I was younger I used to keep my head ducked and low and plow my way through the streets determined to get somewhere with minimal distractions. Now I didn't really have a destination. I kind of looped and watched the lights flicker up in the lamps. I had gone three blocks before left felt right and I turned gradually gravitating closer to the park on the west side of town.

The part was thinning as I got closer to it and the shops were starting to close. It seemed like the city got less and less dismal the closer I got to the park. Everthing was cute and bright and happy. Possibly because kids ran past here with kites. People sold things that were useless like flowers and little noise makers whereas four blocks back they sold food. I wasn't sure how I felt about this, kind of hollow at the moment. My head was churning around Winry and Alphonse, and Mustang, and his stupid soon to be wife, and how little time I had left. How I needed to start acting and how this all had the potential to churn into a gigantic mess...

"I thought you were supposed to be off with the Black Knights tonight, Fullmetal."

Shit-fuck! I nearly jumped out of my skin.

"Holy-" I managed, choking and whirling and suddenly I wanted to accuse him of following me because there was _no way_ I ran into him so many times in two days without meaning to unless he was trying to find me. I had never noticed in the whole entirety that I had known him to see him _twice_ in two days outside of his office. In fact, I couldn't think of a time I hadn't seen him that he wasn't in his office or ordered to chase me. I glared at him nervously and suspiciously.

"Yeah well, plans change." I managed, voice tighter than normal as my eyes flicked and I noticed her. She was sitting on a bench a few feet away kicking one of her feet absently to herself as she watched the sun set in the distance and some people walk by. She was drinking a mug of something. Probably hot chocolate. People didn't drink coffee this late. I wish she wore high-heels because I always thought women that wore high-heels were somehow meaner. She was wearing little boots. Which made her a helluva lot cuter and less intimidating. I restrained from glaring at her before I returned my attention to someone more worthy of it.

"Oh?" He asked, "Where's Alphonse?"

"At home." I said simply, "What are you doing out here?"

Don't say it.

"Watching the sun set."

Damn it. I told you not to say it. She was girl-ifying him. I swear to God. The Mustang I knew wouldn't come out here to watch the _sunset_.

"What are _you_ doing out here?" He shot back, somehow sounding both not interested and interested at the same time and I couldn't quite describe it or ever be able to accomplish such duality. It was something he was a master at. Getting me on the defensive. It was where he did his best work. I hadn't been prepared to see him so soon. I hadn't figured out how best to prod them because something as complicated as him had to be dealt with with great care and consideration.

"Giving Al some space." I said, "He's got a girl." I whispered lowly.

"Really?" He sounded extremely interested. There was no question this time.

"Yeah." I muttered, not mentioning it was Winry and that he was upset at me because she loved me and I loved.. My eyes flicked up at him when he glanced back at her and I could see he was uncertain if he should return back and sit next to her and warm her up or something instead of stand here and chat about nothing with me. I took the time he was distracted to drink him in and the more I stared the more determined I was to get him.

"Is that her?" I asked, nodding my head over in her direction. I already knew it was. He didn't know that.

"Yes." He told me, looking away from her to glance at me. Good. Because if you really loved someone you wouldn't have your gaze torn from them so easily. I should know. My eyes could get pratically glued to him. Especially when he walked. I straightened my shoulders after a moment and rubbed my hands together, the flesh grating along the metal. I could do this. I thought maybe my first encounter with them together would freak me out, but other than a frantically beating heart I was holding up pretty fine.

I could do this.

I flashed him a grin.

"Well?" I said, "Are you going to introduce me or what?"

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I only have two reviews. This makes me tired. Feedback, please.

And Gaellys, I love a Machavelian Edward. 8D


	5. Understated

**Matchbreaker**

_Represent_

_Author's Note:_ Thank you so much for the reviews guys! Really. I was going to just leave this as it is. Anyways, I'm afraid to say that while this started out as a bit of fun if I'm going to keep going I need some sort of plot device. Which, means this is going to get heavier and more serious - because now I have a plotline! Yay! And its not very cute or fluffy. Besides that I hope you continue to read. This chapter is kind of like a filler, but forgive me. I promise things _will_ start happening.

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"Oh, _you're_ the Fullmetal Alchemist! Roy's told me about you." She told me kindly, pulling her mug of coffee closer to her.

"Yep, yep." I said, "That's me." I shot Mustang a look, trying to decipher whether these things she's heard about me were good things or bad things before realizing it really didn't matter what kind of things - I was just happy he was talking about me. He shot me a glance but I couldn't tell what it meant before he walked me closer to her.

"Edward Elric." I took her gloved hand with one of my own, trying with all my being not to clench too tightly and she shook it, frowning a bit.

"Violet Cardenas." She introduced before, "You're hands so cold."

Well, duh, woman. I wondered if she was playing or not before seeing the actual stupidity in her eyes and I had to stop myself from rolling mine. It was weird to see that Mustang had told her so much about me, but hadn't told her about the fact that I had lost my arm and leg?

"Yeah." I stated, uncomfortably not sure how to handle someone who knew my title but didn't know I had two fake limbs.

"Fullmetal's right hand is automail." Mustang cut in smoothly.

"Oh that makes sense with your name." She stated, giving a very homely smile. I stared at her face, certain I had seen it somewhere. I hadn't noticed before until I was a few feet from her and I could see her nose and her cheekbones. She caught my gaze and gave me a look of confusion before a soft laugh.

"You're so serious." She commented.

"He generally is." Mustang muttered, shooting me a suspicious look.

"Oh, I'm just tired." I said.

"What is it past your bedtime?"

"No." I hissed at him before I pulled a interested face and I leaned in a little, hoping to god my smile wasn't as wolfish as I felt as I took in her little face and her tiny features and she reminded me of one of those mothers they had in the children's books, "So, I'm _dying_ to know - two or three?"

"Two or three what, dear?"

"Kids." I clarified and watched as a blush spread across her cheeks and Mustang twitched as if he was going to clobber me in the back of the head. I pulled back, knowing when I might have stepped a bit too close and I gave a laugh that made her smile at me like I was a harmless kid that didn't know any better while Mustang tensed further. Mustang knew my laughs too well, better than Violet did.

"Fullmetal, that's inappropriate." Mustang chastised.

"Oh sorry! I thought you guys would have talked about that by now!" I scratched the back of my head.

"We're a little preoccupied with other things."

"Oh right, the wedding and stuff." I said.

The couple shifted awkwardly, but I pretended I didn't see it or notice and I kept plowing through, determined to make sure my first introduction would be a memorable one. My eyes flicked to her ring. It was simple, gold, with one diamond in the center. Not even a big one. I always thought that Mustang was more of a romantic, so I had always expected some big-ass gody ring or something.

And this was so much worse because, for some reason, the understatement of it was louder than anything. It was like he knew her so well that he knew she didn't care about the ring that much - that he hadn't needed to impress her, he knew she would say yes.

Shit.

Or he was a cheapskate. Both options I left into consideration. I'd much rather rely on the notion that he didn't want to spend that much money on her.

"So, where'd you guys first meet?" I asked, keeping the air of innocence and polite conversation about me. Mustang still hadn't sat down next to her and she didn't look like she was going to stand anytime soon so we were left half-standing half-sitting in a weird semi-awkward tight little group of people that weren't sure what to do or say. But we were all pretending on some level or another that this was normal.

"I want to know _everything_. First kiss, first date, the works."

If Mustang's face could get any more suspicious it would probably self implode.

"We met here, didn't we?" She peered up at him with a little smile on her face.

"Yes." Mustang said, backing her up.

"Right under that tree over there." She pointed back towards an oak tree that was overhanging the edge of the park out onto the street. Its limbs were tangled in the power lines and its roots had cracked and buckled the pavement making little ramps that kids used on Sundays when their parents went off to church.

"Oh _really_?" I asked, "That's weird. He never seems to be the park type."

I shot Mustang a look but he was determined not to look at my face. I wondered why vaguely as I listened to her prattle along about how they first met in a airy dreamy voice that I wanted to rip out of her throat.

"-and _then_ I offered my umbrella because he just looked so-"

I had to listen to this shit for about ten minutes before I started asking questions, poking and prodding her and acting so surprised at the little details of their relationship and Mustang looked about ready to strangle me.

Just as I asked if she had any siblings - because I had a brother and blah blah _blah_, Mustang moved to do something as if he was going to stop me but whatever he was about to do was lost by her, and me, and even himself because we were all interrupted.

There was a distant chime off down the corner signaling it had been a few hours since I'd left Al along with his phone and the toll of the bell seemed to silence her. We all paused and tilted our heads and internally counted until we reached eleven and I told them to excuse me because I should probably be headed back.

I shrugged my jacket closer to myself as I bid them both adieu and watched as she simply glanced down the street and took another sip of her coffee. At first I had been sure that I had caught the two of them on some sort of date but the more I talked and the less they seemed to be annoyed with me, the more I realized they were just hanging out. For some reason this made me more jealous.

What, was Mustang not even trying? They were so together they could just hang out in the park late at night and talk? My eyes scanned over him as he moved along next to me as I got closer to the street. He wasn't even trying to be dressed up.

He still looked _gorgeous_. Effortlessly. I tried to pry my gaze from him but it wouldn't come but he didn't seem to notice he paused by the streetlamp and I stopped automatically with him.

"So, Alphonse is interested in a girl, is he?"

I had a feeling that this was not what he wanted to say to me, but I played along.

"Yeah, well. Its complicated." I told him.

"How so?"

I really didn't want talk to my own love interest about my brother's love interest who was interested in me instead of him to which I wasn't interested. I frowned at him a bit before I shrugged.

"It's the kind of complicated that will get me punched in the face."

"Ah."

"Yeah." I said.

"Hey, do me a favor." I intoned.

He didn't say anything but raised an eyebrow at me to continue. I loved it when he did that. For a brief second maybe I could understand those stupid girls and their swooning, although I was tougher than that. Instead of batting my eyes or giggling my frown grew more severe.

"Don't mention it to Al." I told him, "I shouldn't have even said anything. He'll be mad if he knew I told anyone."

"When have I ever?" He asked me innocently.

Never. He was extremely good at keeping my secrets.

He stood there for a brief moment before he yanked absently on his scarf and he leaned a bit closer - which nearly gave me a heart-attack, I tried to pass off the shock with a cough - and he started to speak in a low whisper. Which, was very sexy.

"Edward, I want you to be especially careful. The Black Knights are not people to be messed with. Do you understand?"

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. I had frozen my face into one of aloofness and I was sure the moment I tried to twitch one of my facial muscles it would dissolve.

"Good." He told me. He was leaning, leaning closer and I instinctively tilted my head a bit and I could almost feel his breath hitting along my cheek like he was hovering there - unsure of whether he should do it. I pleaded for him to do it, to plant a kiss there, but like he had been hit by a wind he turned and redirected his lips, leaning back to where I could breathe. As soon as he was back in reasonable distance I let out a snort.

"I'll be fine." I told him. _Thanks for giving a shit about me._

"I'm serious, Fullmetal." He told me, voice a little louder.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."

"_Fullmetal_." His tone was laced with warning, but I waved a vague goodbye and/or salute to him and started down the street, not glancing back until I had nearly disappeared down the stretch of road and when I looked back they were gone. I wondered if I had just imagined all that or not.

And despite the fact that I had to witness them together in all their gut-wrenching disgusting pre-marital glory I was happy. Happier than I had been in a very long time. I knew it had something to do with the way he had growled in my ear, how I had been mistaken when I had left his office that day - he really _did_ care about me being in with the Black Knights. He had sounded possessive. Which, while it would have pissed me off any other day - had me grinning ear to ear now. After seeing her damn ring and her stupid little boots I needed a pick me up.

I only wondered distantly why it had taken tonight for him to express that to me. Maybe he had gotten tired of me screaming at him to mind his own business that he had thought the words hadn't been necessary, but, from the floaty feeling in my chest - they had been.

I had a smile on my face as I rounded the blocks, retracing my steps backwards down along the empty streets until I reached the apartment stretch and it faded. Right. Alphonse.

Right. Winry.

And it all kind of crashed around me as I realized that despite the fact that Mustang seemed to be within reach still, the fact that we was getting married was still concrete and _there_ and a blockade I was having trouble trying to figure out how to get around. My brother was still in love with my best friend. My best friend was still in love with me.

Nothing had really changed.

It was like a weird drug that Mustang could put me on when he raised his stupid eyebrow and when it faded it left me feeling empty and tired, but.. Strangely determined.

They hadn't talked about having kids yet.

My grin relit, only it was different. It was focused outwards instead of inwards. More sadistic. I was pleased, very pleased, that they hadn't made any sort of plans.

That they hadn't planned on having kids.

That they hadn't planned on me.

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Review review review! Please please please!


	6. He Stole My Childhood

**Heartbreaker**

_Represent_**  
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_Author's Note:_ Yep. Its been a while hasn't it? Sorry about that. Here's an update for anyone that actually stuck around to watch me. C: More coming for me to respond to the reviews that I got - which, by the way made my day.

Freshwaterrain: I'm kinda making this up as I go. So... I hope it lives up to that.  
VermilionValentine: Patience, young grasshopper.  
Kumiko-Kun: Thanks. I actually read one of your stories I think. I recognize your name. :O  
aicornduong: I'm unsure about what you mean, but thanks?  
Suzuku90: Dang he's supposed to be evil, not nice! And Al'll find a way to impress Winry. ;D  
gaaraofthefunkXD: Oh don't worry. It will get angsty.  
UP2L8: Haha. "Plotline" is a very strong word. Its more like an idea and I'm kinda going with it for a while, hoping it works.

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I clinked my spoon along the side of the porcelain. I didn't know that eating breakfast could be so tense. In fact, I didn't think that eating, period, could be so awkward. Or that I could ever be so awkward with my own brother. I frowned, eyes flicking up to watch where Alphonse was furiously bent over his own cereal, and, by the looks of his frown, taking his breakfast very seriously.

"Al-" I started.

"Don't." He snapped. And I closed my mouth, moving to take a bite, but I got sidetracked and kind of spun my spoon around. I wasn't that hungry to be honest. Having your little brother leveling solid dangerous glares at you every once in a while did that to you.

"Look-" I tried again, a little softer this time and something in my tone of voice set Al off because he tensed instantly, like he didn't want to hear anything reasonable right now.

"Just eat your breakfast!" Al nearly exploded, flipping his spoon at me.

I made a face. Just because apparently Al and Winry's little phone conversation hadn't gone well last night didn't give him the right to yell at me like that.

"I'm not hungry!" I retorted, pulling a pout.

"God dammit, Ed! Eat the fiber!"

"No! You can't make me!"

This was childish, which usually meant that behind all our little scrabbling about nothing the heart of the matter was more important. And delicate, and Alphonse clearly didn't want to think, much less talk about his love life at the moment. So, I was content to let him vent at me about my cereal.

"I swear to god, you're like taking care of a baby!"

"Shut up, I'm a whole year older than you."

"I slaved away making this for you, so you're going to eat it!"

"You liar, you spent maybe two minutes pouring it into a bowl."

"At least I made it for you!" He was grasping at straws.

I laughed. I couldn't help it.

He rubbed his forehead, an action he had learned from Pinako. She used to do that whenever she found us with a new broken bone or something. He released a patronizing sigh and I shifted a bit, then there was silence. Which, was worse.

I was tempted to insult his cereal again, just to get him to talk as he stared down into his bowl.

We swirled and swirled and swirled around in delicate circles and the intensity in the air was enough to make me choke. I was never that good at trying to figure out how to talk to Alphonse. He was like a girl sometimes, the way he brooded and brooded and then exploded. I remembered the last time he had done this to me - when he had ran off from the hospital. That had not been fun.

I pushed a bit of hair out of my face. There was nothing I could do about it, really. He would explode when he was ready and then we could talk about it, but until then he was going to curse at me and glare at me.

"So.." I tried for the third time to try and strike up a conversation that wouldn't end up in my head getting chewed off. And people thought _I_ was the unreasonable one. "The weather is.. nice today."

That was weak.

We both paused after that pathetic excuse for small talk exited my mouth and Al stared at me. We stared at each other for a few seconds before I grinned weakly. Al's mouth twitched, stretched, and then a painful smile reached across there and he started to snicker. I laughed. Suddenly everything seemed okay again, at least for now.

"Yes, it is." Alphonse managed after a moment, eating his first bite of cereal in about thirty minutes and chewing it thoughtfully. He gave me a snicker, which, no doubt was meant to mock my shmoozing ability but I didn't mind.

I started to sense that perhaps this was the right time to start poking him.

"So how is Winry?" I asked after a moment, casually.

He tensed again, but didn't lash out.

"Fine." He managed.

"You need to just make a move." I suggested, taking a bite.

"Oh?" He asked skeptically, "Like what?"

"I dunno."

We were silent again for a moment.

"Maybe give her something stupid like a bracelet. Chicks love that shit." I suggested.

"Oh great - advice about love from _you_." Alphonse said, "Since you're obviously _such a pro_."

I took offense to that, but I didn't deny it. I pretty much had the worst luck when it came to my own love life and I generally fouled everything up if I ever tried or got interested enough to try. I sighed, dismal at the thought for a moment, before remembering last night.

"Mustang almost kissed me." I grinned. Okay, so this was a lie. He didn't almost kiss me, he whispered at me, really close, and if I had tripped at the right time he would have - but he didn't. And I didn't know if he wanted to or not. The man was hard to read.

Alphonse's eyebrows had skyrocketed into his skull.

"Yeah. So clearly I know what I'm doing." I told him.

"You never know what you are doing." He told me.

"True." I sighed.

I took the last few bites of my cereal, putting the empty bowl in the sink. I ate it dry, because milk was the devil.

"A bracelet, huh?" Alphonse mumbled, leaning back a bit, "Somehow I don't think Winry is the type of girl to be impressed by that."

Suddenly everything was nice and happy again like normal. I was grateful, I was bad at trying to figure out how to act around Al when he was irate. Mainly because he was never angry. So if he was it was a very rare occurrence - one in which I had no practice in.

"She's a girl." I shrugged, "She'll appreciate the thought or the effort or something else gay like that."

I'd appreciate it if Mustang gave me a bracelet. I guess that cemented the fact I was gay if I had any doubts about that before. I almost made a face at myself over that little epiphany. I wouldn't wear it, dear _god_ no, but I'd appreciate it.

Alphonse pondered this over for a moment. Like, seriously pondered it over. I watched him until he finally seemed to come out of it and grabbed the paper, flicking it open and glancing at the front page as I turned on the sink to wash the bowl.

"So when did Mustang almost kiss you?" He asked me as I scrubbed.

"Last night." I answered, not really sure if talking about last night was something Al was ready to do yet, but he didn't get all mad or quiet so I assumed he might be over it. Or if he wasn't, he had gone back to internalizing it.

I took his shrug of compliance as a signal to continue.

"Yeah. I took a walk. Ran into him and_ Violet _in the park."

Alphonse snorted and turned a page of his paper.

"And I embarrassed them a bit, before I had to come back."

"So when did this almost kiss happen?" He glanced up at me, spinning a bit in his seat from next to the table and I blushed.

"Okay, it wasn't so much that." I admitted, "But he's interested."

"Knew it. Liar." He said, grinning, "We're both little liars."

"Yep." I said proudly. Lying, after all, was what kept the world together. I scrubbed and scrubbed and dried and set. Without lying everyone would hate everyone else. I pushed my hair out of my face, not having taken a shower yet this morning. I didn't have to go in to work until eight tonight so I never really got ready until around noon.

"Violet huh?" Al asked.

"Yes."

"At least you can't come up with a horrible pet name for that." Alphonse said and I winced. I didn't even want to think about having to listen to Mustang call her something that repulsive. Like _Vikky_ or something. Disgusting.

"He wouldn't do that anyways." I stated, not as sure as I felt. I hadn't thought he would ever marry a woman either.

"Ring?"

"Small." I whispered.

He frowned, "Why's that a bad thing?"

"Because it means they're closer than I thought."

"Or he's a cheapskate." Al said, "That's more likely."

"Yeah, but I'm not going to underestimate her." I told him.

* * *

Dear god, she was taking over everything.

A random encounter in the park? Sure. But in the library? The woman must know I liked the library. Or maybe I was growing paranoid. I leaned back in my chair, surveying her from my throne across the way and my eyes narrowed and I tilted my head, taking in her high-heels today. So she was really a bitch in disguise was she? I wondered if she only wore those boots I saw yesterday around him.

She blinked and glanced up and I kicked my feet out, my chair flying forward from where it had been leaning on its back legs and I disappeared behind the bookshelf, praying she hadn't noticed me.

"Oh, Edward, isn't it?" Her voice came from across my shoulders and I tried not to cringe but instead forced my face into one I thought was innocent and inviting.

"Oh, hello Mrs. Mustang." I gushed, beaming, "You come here often?" _Because I do, bitch, so you better stay clear of this section. It's mine. You may have gotten to Mustang first, but you won't take my library too._

She didn't seem to notice how tightly my jaw was wound.

"Oh call me Vi." She tossed her hand with the ring on it and my eyes narrowed. She was smarter than I previously thought. Vi. Shit, there _was_ a nickname. "I'm not a Mustang quite yet, you know. Its strange to think my name will be changing."

"Uh-huh, sure, Vi." I said, ignoring the stupid little bird of a wrist that was flopping that rock in my face. I had the urge to bite it and steal the ring but I kept my cool.

"So what book were you looking for?" I asked, trying to sound conversational. Sure, she had caught me off guard, but I was determined to let this be a opportunity.

"A cooking book." She blushed, "But I'm afraid I'm not very familiar with this library."

"The cooking section is on the second floor." I told her, having a hard time masking my outrage.

"Oh yes." She smiled, "I actually was hoping to talk to you. I saw you and I was unsure of how to introduce myself."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, you see, I've been wanting to get to know Roy's friends-"

Friends.

"-And you seem to be important to him, so…"

I was important to him? A glowing sense of pride blossomed in my chest and I gave her a beaming smile, one that wasn't exactly for her, but for the fact that I was important to her soon to be husband. She didn't seem staggered by it.

"Oh, well what do you want to know?" I asked.

"I just have heard a lot about you and I wanted to know - since you are so young - why you decided to join the military?"

I shrugged, having heard this question a lot.

"I just wanted to extend my services, you know." I told her.

"Really? But goodness. You're only what?"

"Twenty-two." I told her, not thinking that was as young as she did. She was maybe thirty something.

"Really?"

_You can't hit a girl. You can't hit a girl._

"Yeah." I told her blandly, hoping I didn't look as murderous as I felt. "I was signed at twelve, so I kind of know what I'm doing now."

She was silent and her eyes widened and she was staring at me.

"_Twelve_?" She hissed, "That's terrible! Why would the military sign up a kid? They stole your childhood!"

I chuckled.

"Well technically, _Mustang_ stole my childhood." She didn't get the many levels of that joke, but instead her face grew stormy and I suddenly sensed that perhaps I had stumbled upon something that I could use.

"What do you mean?" She asked quietly.

"Well.." I told her, blinking, "He was the one that came to my house to sign me up."

I knew I wasn't being fair. My childhood had been wrecked long before Mustang had showed up at Pinako's house. I had already ruined it over and over again and to be quite honest I was happy to move on to a more adult life. He hadn't taken anything from me, he had offered me everything.

But I didn't let her know that, I watched her churn over that over and over and her face grow more and more dark. I did nothing to correct her assumption that the man she was marrying had gone and signed up a twelve year old into a place where he essentially was forced to give up his freedom, his innocence, and his life if necessary. She did not find that endearing.

"Really." She stated dangerously, "Thank you, if you'll just excuse me. I'll go find that cooking book."

And she took off in a dangerous _click click click_ like a countdown with those sharp heels to the second floor. I was suddenly glad I was not Mustang tonight. A smirk crossed my face as I turned back to my book. That hadn't been so hard.

* * *

REVIEW OR I WON'T UPDATE.

I'm serious. The chance of me updating goes up almost exponentially to how many intelligent reviews I get.


	7. He Knew

**Matchbreaker**

_Represent_

_Author's Note:_ Okay so I turned on my anonymous reviews so that more people can (hopefully) review. This chapter is a little bit shorter than my others, but hopefully its more entertaining too. I'm about ready to die right now, in Seattle, where we're having a heat blast and its like over a hundred and I have no air conditioning because it never gets this hot here usually. I only have a little fan and its chug-chugging along. How do people in Florida survive??

* * *

"Fullmetal."

I resisted the urge to wince and instead spent my own sweet time spinning around to face him. I knew exactly who it was who was demanding my attention. He had called me into report earlier this morning. I honestly couldn't bring myself to be nervous or afraid - he rarely made me feel frightened. I was jittery from excitement. From the sound of his voice things had not gone over well last night.

I swallowed a smirk before turning and taking him in.

"Yes?" I asked, pausing long enough to make him frown before, "Sir?"

"Come."

I knew that when he really started to treat everyone around here like dogs he was really irritated. I resisted another urge to say something snarky and instead obeyed, for now, following him into his office and watching his tense back as he swept inside.

The others in the office had peered at me with curiosity when I had first arrived. After being transferred I rarely came in here. Only once a month to give Mustang a general report on what was going on. I didn't even have to do that - but I liked to see him. I had known Mustang had been in a mood by the way Havoc was not only not smoking, but his hands were plastered to his work as if they had been melted there. I wondered if they actually were.

Mustang could have quite the temper when he wanted to. Only Hawkeye seemed unaffected. She had given me a terse nod, as per usual, and continued to shine her gun.

I had no doubt that as soon as I walked inside his office they were going to press their ears to the door. They had that twitchy probing look about them, as if they needed to know the reason why their commander had been so testy today.

"Close the door." Mustang said.

I did. It clicked with an echoing lock. I still couldn't bring myself to be scared, more amused.

"Is this going to take long?" I asked him, "Because I'm due down -"

"Fullmetal." He interrupted again, sinking down into his chair like a king and locking his fingers and frowning critically at me, "Why did you tell Violet that?"

It was a loaded question. I hated it when he asked me things that were really asking me other things that only I could guess. Why did I tell Violet that? Why did I care about Violet and him? How come I had brought up something that obviously upset her? And deeper issues that even I couldn't guess at. His mind was extremely complicated. Mine was not. I wanted him, and that was all that mattered.

"She asked." I shrugged at him, and he bristled. Not visibly, but I could tell. The small nuances in his character were never visible, but in the air. He controlled it like rings around his fingers and you had to learn how to smell and feel the subtle differences.

"You must have known that it would make her angry."

"No." I lied.

"Bullshit." He called me out. "You're not stupid."

I shrugged again and his hands tensed. "What was I supposed to say?" My voice dropped a little lower so the others outside the door couldn't hear, "That you came and recruited me because I had no family left, because I had committed the taboo? That somehow the fact that I had lost two limbs and my brother's body would make it seem a whole lot better?"

"You were supposed to say that you _wanted_ to join." Mustang ground out, "Or lie. Not just omit important parts of the story and make me look like an asshole."

"But I didn't _want_ to join." I hissed at him, defensive, "The thought of joining hadn't even crossed my mind until you arrived and maybe you look like an asshole because you _are_ one. Did that ever cross your mind?"

Mustang was silent at that, a series of complicated emotions played out across his face and I started to sense that he wasn't really all that upset about Violet and her getting mad at him over letting a minor into the military. He was upset because he thought she was right - that he _was_ a bastard for letting me in, for coming to my house when I was half dead and convincing me. That he had taken advantage of a emotionally distraught twelve-year-old, despite the alchemic promise.

My lips pursed into a line and I gave a quick shake of my head and I pressed my hands onto his desk until he looked up. His face was calm, but his eyes weren't. I wondered how long he had been tortured by this. I wondered if that's all he saw when he saw me. I wouldn't allow it.

"Stop it." I was mad, before I knew it I had grabbed his chin. He didn't jerk out of the hold, but his eyes widened in shock a bit, "We both know that I would have set out to do the same god damn thing, state alchemist or not. I wasn't twelve, not really."

I had tossed my childhood when I had pressed my hands to the array - when I had decided that I was an adult enough to decide who lived and who died, that I was entitled my mother. Mustang had been a little late. Violet was wrong, I hadn't been a child when he had found me. Not really.

Mustang swallowed.

"No." He told me, "You were still just a kid. You were too young to understand what you were getting into."

My lips pulled back in a snarl.

"You know that's a lie." I told him.

He gave a soft sigh and he pulled out of my grasp, but didn't pull away. It was a different sort of motion. One that said this conversation was over, nothing else.

"Yeah." He agreed. And that was it. We looked at each other, regarded one an other. His face grew puzzled and then he gave me a soft smile that made my stomach explode and made me want to do stupid shit just so that he'd keep doing it. He rarely smiled, and never at me.

"What?" I asked.

"You've grown up." He said.

"Well, yeah." I said. There was a moment of uncomfortable silence. I was still leaning over his desk, I realized, and I pulled back a little. As I did he blinked and slumped back into his chair and rubbed his chin. His eyes were dark and full of something, he was tired - but there was something else. I wasn't sure what it was but it had my heart pounding.

"Don't screw with Violet." He told me after a moment, as if it was a passing comment about the weather and I felt a grin split across my lips.

"Gross, wouldn't dream of it."

"Fullmetal." He stated in warning, and I knew my joke was not appreciated. I quickly redid my response.

"I wasn't." I told him, the lie coming out more natural than before.

"You know," He said, looking up at me from the papers and tilting his head a bit as he took me in. I had my face pulled into what I thought was a perfectly blank slate. His face merely resolved and his smile turned into a smirk. "You should stop trying to fool me with that innocent face - its much more disturbing. I'd hate for it to get stuck like that."

I blinked. Here I was thinking I'd been playing him perfectly.

"I don't know what you mean." I told him.

"Don't screw with Violet." He said again. His dark eyes locked with mine and I knew that he knew what I was doing. And he wasn't trying to stop it. He wasn't trying to tell me to back off, or wondering why I was doing what I was doing. He _knew_. The motherfucker knew the whole time. Why wasn't he telling me to mind my own business? Or asking me what I had against his fiancée? Why wasn't he defending her or protecting her?

My stomach churned and I stared at him and he stared at me and there was no aloofness this time. It was serious. I had to clench my hands to keep from shivering, wondering why - even in my twenties - he always seemed to be a step ahead of me. Why he knew all about me before I even did, but I could never figure him out? I had been duped by him - for what felt like the millionth time.

My face didn't shatter, despite the sinking feeling that I was caught. The fact that I hadn't been verbally or physically reprimanded had me floating somewhere in a surreal alternate reality. One where marriages didn't exist and perhaps Mustang liked me.

I was content to float here for awhile.

"Why?" I asked him, as good as admitting that I had been toying with her.

"Because." He told me, and if anyone else had been listening it would have been flippant, like a grandfather patting a grandson on the head, but I knew him better, "I'm marrying her in a few weeks and I'd like to get some sleep between here and then. The couch throws off my back."

"Getting too old, huh?" It came out automatically.

"Something like that." He told me.

A dangerous look passed his face, thoughtful and sinful and flirty and the air was so thick and muggy I thought maybe I'd choke. The want to lean in and grab him by the lapels of his uniform and kiss him was so strong that I didn't know if I could make it. We were perfect together and he knew it. I knew that he knew because he was looking at me the way that I looked at him when I thought he didn't know. And he _knew_. And he was still marrying her.

But he wasn't stopping me from trying to ruin it. Sure, he had told me to quit it, but he hadn't _really_.

"Dismissed." He told me after a moment and I realized my lips were parted a bit, trying to suck air in like a full vacuum cleaner, unable to fit it through the emotion and the heart pounding in my throat. I left his room in a daze. I opened the door as the others skittered around and crashed back into their seats, trying to appear as if they had been working the entire time, and I barely noticed.

"_Shit_." I gusted out as I moved out of the building and stumbled down the steps. Out of all the times that I had been in his office and had been blindsided by him - this one took the cake. It wasn't like when he knew about Psiren, or about Xenotime. It was like he had pulled a quick right punch out of the universe and it had collided with my head - blackness.

The passionate burning sensation I always felt when he was around had ignited. I had never wanted him as much as I did right then, never loved him as much as I did in that moment. I loved and hated him at the same time. For marrying her, but loving me. God damn him.

I didn't understand it. I knew there were many reasons why he and I couldn't be together. When combined they made a very strong case, but - I had never expected him to _marry_ someone. I had never expected him to look at me that way, but tell me he was getting married in two weeks at the same time. It wasn't fair. Anger sudden flooded, faster, overcoming all desire. And as soon as it had passed a hollow empty _ache_ fell over me as I plodded home to get ready to go back to work. Each step away from him was like a day and each day was another day spent without him. A day closer to the unbearable moment when he would exchange vows - like chains - and lock himself away from me.

Well, there was always divorce, I thought to myself. And it cheered me up a little, before I realized that I had started to give up. And as my hand turned on the doorknob I froze and almost smacked myself. _No_. They weren't married yet. I was getting to her - to them.

I couldn't stop now. Not when I knew he had feelings back. Not after nearly burning alive in his office from the whispers of what might and could not happen. Not after he had smiled like that at me and told me to knock it off, but not _really_.

I flung the door open. No.

I cast away the loneliness like one would flick off a spider and I grew resolved again. He wasn't getting away so easy, not after what he had said and done to me today. Perhaps I really_ was_ going about this the wrong way. Maybe seducing him was the way to go - not breaking them apart by words alone. There had been something that told me that if I had kissed him he wouldn't have repelled me back. And that was all the difference.

A kind of curiosity when he said that I'd grown up that had me giddy.

* * *

REVIEWWWW if you want this story continued at all, please!


	8. A Preface To Destruction

**Matchbreaker  
**

_Represent_

_Author's Note_: Wow. A lot of people live in the Seattle area. At least the ones that reviewed. Haha. I'm so sorry for the slow update. I've been trying to get enrolled for college and drawing and stuff so I didn't really have time to type something out. It'll start resolving itself pretty fast now since I'm going to try and get this whole story finished by the time I leave for college. (I hope!) Anyways, I hope you enjoy.

animefangirlNoriko: I know why Roy's doing this. You'll have to wait to find out. Winry's coming soon so you'll figure out why she's being so stupid, and Ed isn't a normal Edward. Sorry!  
Rie: Thank you!  
FMA Ranger: Haha. You'll have to wait to find out!  
Freshwaterrain: 106? Gosh. That's hot.  
Emiko-chan meh: Thank you!  
Julia G.D.: I'm glad my Ed is "unique" and that you kept reading. I hope I keep delivering.  
gaaraofthefunkXD: Keep staying addicted!! :D  
Fuurou: I'm so glad you decided to review! Thank you! And things will start to fall apart soon. C:  
SendMeAGiftBasketOrElse: Haha, I know right?

* * *

There was a soft sound of clanging metal from the study. I knew what metal clanging sounded like, and so, eyes narrowed, I slinked down the hallway until I was before the door. The apartment itself was small and had two floors, the study was near the staircase in the back. Which, was only like five feet in.

I pressed my hand on the wood door, feeling the grain and the soft vibrations of the clanking.

I paused then, because for some reason I knew I had stumbled upon something that was private. I had been feeling that more and more around Al lately. The door was closed which meant stay out. Al usually never closed the doors when he went in and out of rooms which had me a little uneasy. I tried to think of something else I could have done to get on his bad side as of late and if just apologizing would perhaps stall him from whatever he was planning on doing to me. And by the sound of it it was something violent. You didn't pound metal for nothing.

I pondered over whether to just go straight in or to actually knock. I knew which one was more sensitive of the two which probably meant it was the one to do around Al. Alphonse had been getting more and more sensitive by the minute.

With a small sigh I raised my automail knuckles and rapped and there was a sudden startled clanging noise and a scuffle before the door was ripped off the hinges and Alphonse was glaring at me despite the fact that I hadn't done anything - yet.

"What are you doing?" He accused instantly, shifting a bit to block my view of the room and I cursed him for his extra height for a moment. My curiosity peaked.

"I heard you pounding away and came to look." I didn't attempt to lie, I wanted to know what it was he was working on so intently without telling me. "What are you making?"

Al's hand went instantly to the back of his head.

"Nothing."

I frowned, shoving him out of the way with my shoulder and sweeping into the study before my frown twisted into a patronizing smirk. Alphonse's hand twitched like it was going to shove me back out and I felt the air start to tense in a way that made me know exactly what this was about. It was about what everything was about when it came to Alphonse. Winry.

"Oh really?" I asked him, my eyes darting over to the hammer and I picked up a welding gun, "This is so not allowed in the building." I told him with a smirk.

Alphonse didn't respond to that, he was too busy blushing when my fingers came across the metal and I picked it gingerly up. It was still a little hot. I twisted it up to the light.

Alphonse mumbled.

"What?" I asked, turning with it in tow.

"A bracelet, ok?" He snapped at me, not looking at me, looking at the ceiling.

Indeed it was. Alphonse was not a welder, bless his heart. It was half of a bracelet at least, made of tiny little wrenches. Or at least I think they were wrenches, they were twisted and bent and not perfect by any means.

"I thought that if I made it by hand it'd mean more." He finally stated, continuing to speak when I didn't, and his eyes finally met mine and they were begging me to say that it was good enough for her. "Besides she'd know if I made with alchemy. She can smell it."

"I think she'll love it." I told him honestly. A bracelet out of wrenches, it was beyond perfect for her. At least I hoped it was. Winry and I had never connected, not in the way she thought so I couldn't pretend to know what she would like and what she wouldn't, but she was a girl and all people liked getting gifts.

"Her birthday is in a few days." Al's shoulders seemed to slump and he yanked the bracelet away from me like I might break it.

I blinked. Right, it was. I had forgotten.

"This is my present."

I felt like a asshole suddenly.

"You forgot." Alphonse noted sharply, "You always forget. That's okay, I got you a card you can give her. Its on the kitchen counter."

Alphonse wasn't looking at me anymore, he was turning over his bracelet and frowning critically. His eyes narrowed in a way that made them wrinkle on the sides and he looked a lot older than he really was. His eyes saddened suddenly and he turned away from me a bit.

"It's shit." He told me demurely, his face falling now a few notches.

"That's ok." I said, "Its only a little shitty. You still have two days to fix it."

Al gave me a frown.

"And she'll like it no matter what since you made it without alchemy." I fixed.

Alphonse glanced up at me and gave me a weak grin before lashing out and cuffing me affectionately around the head. He tossed the bracelet like he was disgusted with it onto the table and walked with me out of the study before pausing, stiffening and spinning. I glanced back, watching him gently fix where he had thrown the bracelet with delicacy. He passed me by a second time, not casting me a look and I glanced at the little piece of unfinished metal lying innocently against the desk and gave a small sigh.

"She's coming in a few days." Alphonse told me, tossing me the card. It was plain, just had a hat on it and said _Happy Birthday_ on the inside. It was a card I might have picked out. I had a feeling that Al's card was a lot more personal.

"Here?" I asked, slumping on the chair.

"Yeah."

"For how long?"

"A few days to a week."

"Oh. I suppose we should change the sheets in the guest bed then."

There was a long pause as we both wrote in our cards and didn't look at each other. I wondered if we were going to survive a few days to a week with Winry here. With her haphazard flirting with me and Al's silent longing towards her, while I was simultaneously working towards getting Mustang to pull his head out of his ass and call off this stupid wedding.

My thoughts drifted for a while to Mustang and what had happened in the office just a few hours earlier. How he had looked at me.

I swallowed, not looking forward Winry's visit to be truthful. Not only was this whole Mustang deal complicated enough - I hoped I'd still have a brother and a friend by the end of it all. I glanced up and Alphonse seemed to be thinking the same thing, but he had come to a different conclusion and gave me a courageous and knowing grin.

"Are you done with your card?"

I glanced down at it. It basically repeated the outside sentiment and gave a few recycled well wishes and my name. I felt cheap, but I had decided that perhaps by keeping extreme distance she would start to hate me instead. Shit, with Al's handmade wrench bracelet and a tear-jerker card he'd get her in bed with him in no time. And I'd rather come off as an ass than interested.

I shrugged, sealing it into the envelope and tossing it at him where he placed it on the counter-top and slipped off.

"I could just tell her I'm not interested in her, if it would help." I offered, extending an olive-branch to him.

Alphonse whirled on me suddenly and poked me in the chest, hard.

"Don't you_ dare_." He said, "I don't want to be her second-best."

I swallowed, not at all expecting this reaction.

"I don't want you to break her heart and then have her crawling to me because I look like _you_. I don't want her to_settle_. I want her to choose me, because of _me_."

He paused, finger still poking my chest before he blinked - little tirade apparently complete - and withdrew. His lips unpersed and were full again. He almost looked sheepish, he wasn't used to chewing me out or being rough.

"Why don't you just_ tell her_?" I sighed and he merely shook his head in a quick nervous twitch.

"I can't." He admitted. He was too afraid. It seemed we were stuck.

We were silent for a long moment before I gave a large loud groan and I pinched the bridge of my nose and I got up from the table, exhausted by writing a birthday card and the knowledge that I'd have to try and entertain (but still be an ass) to Winry for three days while simultaneously trying to get Mustang to - if not fall in love with me - call the wedding off.

"He's still planning on marrying her?" Al asked, glancing up.

"Yeah." I told him, stretching a little, "Even after I told her about Mustang being a cradle-robber."

Alphonse snorted.

"Aren't you supposed to be working?" He asked me after a moment and I blinked, swore, and shot up the stairs in a few seconds, hearing an exasperated sigh follow me.

As I tugged off my clothes and switched I tried to figure out Mustang's earlier sudden unease about me going undercover. When I had told him before he hadn't seemed all that impressed and then suddenly he was telling me to be careful left and right. Even with his eyes basically undressing me there was a different meaning in his words. Layers upon layers. It wasn't a passing whim or a sudden concern - he knew something that I didn't. Something had changed.

I shrugged on the leather jacket, considering that if it was anything important he would have just told me. So I thought.

* * *

I slipped onto the bus after changing my hair color to a dark brownish red and sat in the back away from most of the other people. I was late according to our clock above the mantle, which meant I was going to get questioned and I tried to come up with a good story. I was only thirty minutes late so far so I could simply tell them the bus had been late and then threaten to beat up anyone that questioned me.

I wasn't afraid of them at all, the only concern I had was keeping my cover because if the Black Knights knew I was really police then all hell would break loose. They couldn't harm me really, but they could harm the dozens of other cops in the area that had no knowledge of alchemy and worked on those streets all the time, armed with only a stick and a pistol.

The Black Knights was a gang that had originated from a family of Aerugians. The Moretti family. Their family line extended at least three generations and the current family head was in charge of the whole gang. They started out drug dealing and then grew and absorbed thugs off the streets and kids that didn't know the multiplication table but knew how to hit.

I glanced out the window through dark eyeliner and my lips pursed into a line as I slipped into my own role.

Jacob Taylor. It was a wholly unmemorable name and Jacob was a wholly unmemorable person. It was my job to be a fly on the wall. To be there, but not really be there and to be trusted enough that the other members forgot I was in the room when they were talking. To make them comfortable around me enough to spill their secrets and hopefully if I did my job right the Black Knights would be over or significantly handicapped by next year.

The whole sting operation thing wasn't something I was good at. It had taken a lot of practice to keep in character. Jacob was polar opposite of me. Not quick to anger, quiet, stupid. He hadn't graduated high school, had a remarkable memory, and had murdered his girlfriend when she cheated on him. The records of it had been faked at the bureau. I needed proof I knew how to kill.

The only thing I was grateful for was that most people had forgotten about the Fullmetal Alchemist. My face wasn't recognizable. I had grown and people had lost interest. There were no Scars running around and without the Stone to travel the country for I didn't go to remote areas and fix corrupt governments or save villages. If I had tried to go undercover five years ago I would have been caught extremely fast.

I took in a few breathes, trying to push all other thoughts out but Roy's stupid eyes kept permeating through my cover and I swallowed a few times, tapping my fingers on my knees until I calmed back down. I couldn't afford a slip-up, not when I was so knee-deep in this thing.

I slipped off the bus, face placid.

"Jake. Where the _fuck_ have you been?"

It was Adrien Moretti, the youngest of the family that was involved in the gang. At seventeen he reminded me a lot of myself - only a darker more desperate and morally corrupt version. His face struck me for some reason as I crossed the sidewalk and went down the side-street where he had been waiting for me. The impatience was written along every part of his body and he was suspicious.

Out of all of them Adrien was easily the smartest and knew it. He was irritated all the time, constantly, by his family and by the gang and by the fact that he wasn't even under consideration to take over when his father died. He was always doing background checks, always nervous and on edge. He was perhaps the only one of the Moretti family to realize that he wasn't invincible and that the police were always watching.

And somehow I had gained his trust more than the others. He viewed me as a either a friend or someone too stupid to rat him out or even think about ruining his business.

"This blonde chick and I-" I started.

"Nevermind I don't want to know." He snapped, "I don't care, just don't be late again. Ever."

His chocolate eyes flashed over me and I remained aloof, peering at him dumbly through my dyed hair and not at all alarmed as his eyes narrowed over my face.

"Will do, Boss." I told him and this seemed to please him. He liked being called the Boss of something, even if it was just me.

"Right. Follow me." He hissed, spinning and quickly moving down the back alley and I did.

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I need feedback. Review opinions, please.


	9. The Kiss

**Matchbreaker  
**

_Represent_

_Author's Note_: So the drama begins. I'm sure this is the chapter you have all been waiting for. This whole story is going to start wrapping up _really_ fast so don't get mad at me for rushing things. I'm trying to get it all up before I leave for school in mid-September. The chapters are going to get longer and longer since I'm going to stop trying to drag it out and just let it go.

Kibetha: Awesome! *throws out convert-rays* I don't really view their relationship as that lovey-dovey. It could be for brief moments, but not overall.  
luna moon girl: Don't worry darling, you'll like this chapter.  
UP2L8: I actually did. C: I'm going to study Graphics Design in the fall.  
Kronos930: Updating. Mature Edward is just weird to me, at least while he's in his early twenties.

And okay look- I thought I'd just clear this up. If people are upset by me saying to review or I won't update then I'm sorry for making you mad, but get over it. I'm telling the truth. I have a ton of other things I do with my life and Fanfiction is down low on the list. To be honest I kind of forgot about this story for a few weeks until I got a late review. I don't have each chapter already written up and I'm 'holding out' on you. I write it when I get the urge to write it and post it after I do so. Each chapter is freshly written. And when I get a lot of feedback I feel more inclined to start writing again because I feel like what I'm doing is actually worth doing instead of a thousand other things I could be working on. I only post my stories to have intelligent discussions about my work and get feedback on how to become a better writer. I don't post these just for kicks. I'm not a saint and I'm going going to pretend to be a saint, but I'm not asking for much.

I feel the need to defend myself since I feel a little attacked. I only posted something of that sort_ twice_ on chapters six and seven. Either way, if you don't like that I get distracted and forget/loose the urge to post new chapters and instead focus on my art, music, sports, or roleplay then just don't read my story or refrain from getting so upset about why I ask for reviews. If you think its childish, then so be it, but don't send me a PM or a review about how I ask for reviews. That's all I have to say about that.

* * *

Something was suddenly very wrong. I could feel it deep in my stomach. It was the same feeling I had had right before the lights had turned purple and the Gate had sucked off my arm. The only terrible thing about it was that I didn't know which part of my life was about to go to pot.

I had a thousand different things going on at once. Was it Mustang and his marriage? I didn't think so - I hadn't gotten this feeling until now and he had already been engaged for almost two weeks. The wedding was in two days and yet the feeling of dread and despair wasn't in me.

Was it Winry's visit?

My fingers rapped along the kitchen table.

Was it Alphonse who was sitting in the living room floor - only a few feet away in our tiny apartment - and trying without succeeding, to tie a bow on Winry's birthday present? No. It couldn't be that. But something was tying me in knots. And, as I drew a circle in the table, it all came back to what had really been bothering me lately.

"Vi". Not just Violet Cardenas, and not just because she wore high heels and lurked around in my library, but because her face was so familiar. It wasn't remarkable and it wasn't something that screamed out at you, but there was something about her cheekbones that had me on edge. I had a general mistrust in everyone to a certain point, and she was no different. When I hadn't been able to find her name in the census I had immediately thought Mustang had perhaps decided to marry an illegal and do a bit of charity work.

I mean, she didn't look Amestrian. She didn't look Xingian either. Her eyes were wide and espresso colored. Her last name didn't really have an identifying factor and I knew in my gut wasn't her real last name.

Alphonse let out a soft curse.

"Tie! You stupid ribbon!"

That was cursing, for Al.

I sighed and turned my head away from him. He was distracting me. We were both on edge. I didn't know why I was, but he was nervous over Winry's arrival. He kept checking his watch and pacing and retying the bow on his present. He would make sure that the steak he was cooking was still cooking and walk through each room of the house like they might have switched just for kicks when he wasn't looking. It was irritating me.

I couldn't tell if I was upset because he was so upset or if it really was something deeper.

If Violet Cardenas really _was_ an illegal it meant that I could happily meet Mustang in back alleys. I didn't need a ring to be secure. If she really _was_ a attempt to make a old friend legal in a better country than I could forgive him. But - she wasn't Xingian. Roy was. And if anything I couldn't think of a time he had been in another country besides Ishbal.

She was not Ishballan. That was clear, and I doubt an Ishballan would ever be his friend, much less marry him.

I gave a frustrated noise. What the _hell_ was making me so edgy?

Was it Mustang? And how he had been teasing me all week with his stupid little dirty puns and his sideways glances. It was clear that he and I were _something_, but then why didn't he break it off with her? How come I was like a skeleton in his closet? I was certain I wasn't just something to play with - he knew better than to do that if he wanted to stay alive.

And then there was work, where, despite getting intelligence of where they had been stashing a majority of their drugs I hadn't told the police chief. Something was off about that too - it was too easy. I wasn't as stupid as Jacob was. It had been Adrien to tip me off 'accidentally' while talking to his older brother and I was sure that something was up. A sudden feeling of _not right_ had hit me.

How were all these things connected?

And then suddenly I knew.

"_FUCK_!" I exclaimed, slamming out of my chair and making Alphonse jump from on the floor and ruin the bow he had been making.

"What?" Al asked with a small glare.

"I think I _get it_!" I hissed at him, pacing.

"Get what?" He asked tiredly.

"One second." I told him, grabbing my coat and throwing it on before making the move for the door and Alphonse scrambled up from the ground and threw his arm out in front of the way out making me stall.

"You can't go, we have to go pick Winry up at noon!" He shot at me.

I glanced at the clock. It was eleven thirty.

"I have to, move." I grabbed at his arm and his face grew stormy.

"Edward! You haven't seen her in _months_! Its her _birthday_! She's going to be expecting you to show up and greet her! You can't just leave now and not even give an explanation!"

I shoved him, hard, growing angry.

"Just because you don't share the same feelings doesn't mean you can act like a complete asshole." He shoved me back.

We paused, regarding each other angrily and it seemed that everything, every nerve, had suddenly reflex and refocused and we were aimed at each other now. I had to go, and he didn't understand and I didn't have time to explain. Ever since Alphonse had decided Winry was his "one" he had been pissing me off more and more until I felt like actually _hitting_ him and my fists clenched and shook. He seemed to be thinking the same thing, because he was shaking too and his face was livid.

The stress rate of the past few weeks had frayed us and I knew if I walked out that door and left he wouldn't talk to me for weeks unless I apologized and I wasn't about to apologize if I was right.

"Yes it does." I replied.

Alphonse flinched as if physically hit and he growled.

"I don't know how or when you became so uncaring, Edward." He accused.

"I don't know when you became a fucking _girl_." I accused back.

"Oh yeah?" He grabbed me by the collar and threw me against the wall, knocking the breathe out of me. I merely leveled a look right back at him.

"Yeah."

"All you ever do is think of yourself lately. And its pissing me off." He almost yelled.

"Let me go." I warned.

"No! You're going to pick up Winry with me and you're going to be _nice god dammit so help me!_" Alphonse whispered. His hands tightened around my collar and his leg pressed up against my stomach so there was no escape. Despite the fact he was fully human now he still had a good few inches on me and was remarkably stronger. I knew I had to be underhanded if I wanted to get out of his apartment.

"I have a better idea." I snapped back, "Why don't you go and tell her you like her eyes or whatever else girly-shit you've been talking about in your sleep and leave me out of it!"

"I won't!"

"Let me_ out!_" I used my older brother authoritative voice.

"No!"

"NOW!"

"NO!" His grip tightened and he slammed me against the wall again and he gave a growl and spat out a sentence that left me shaken, "Maybe you should just fess up and admit that you and Mustang are never going to happen! At least Winry likes you, and you just keep hurting her!"

I coiled back my fist and slammed it straight into the side of his face, numb and reeling. I expected him to hit me back as soon as I connected but he didn't. He let me go and he turned away from me and I could see there was a bruise already darkening on the side of his jaw but - still stinging from his words, I didn't care.

"Fine." He hissed.

"Fine." I hissed back.

And I left, slamming the door behind me. The weight of what I had done didn't hit me yet - wouldn't hit me yet. I had something else that was on my mind that completely overshadowed the ache of my flesh knuckles where they had slammed into my own kin's face.

My mind was whirling, connecting three different things, three different people. I hadn't seen it before, and perhaps I was thinking way to into this, but there was only one way to find out. And within minutes I was standing before his door. I counted the cars in the driveway. I had seen Violet Cardenas running around in a red Miata the other day and I knew it was her personal car. Roy was far to classy for that. His black BMW was sitting quietly, alone.

I marched up the steps then, still out of breath and slightly shaken from what had happened back at my apartment, and the same fist that had smashed Alphonse's jaw hit against the heavy oak wood of Mustang's front door.

I could hear shuffling after a moment and there was a click. I stood still - he was looking through the eyepiece. Why? Did he always look through the eyepiece or was this just another shred of proof that I was on the right track? If I was really on the right track how the hell were we going to get out of this?

There was three more clicks. Locks.

"Why are you here?" He asked me tiredly. He looked like he had been napping. Or something else. I refused to think about that right now though. I was here on a mission. His eyes were distraught and he looked cornered. They darted up to the street and then around the two larger trees in his front yard. I watched him for a moment do some kind of survey of his own yard before I spoke.

"I need to ask you something, and if I'm wrong then don't get all.." I made hand gestures indicating how Mustang would get all snobby and patronizing when I was wrong. His face didn't flicker and he glanced back down at my face, suddenly intensely.

I shifted for a moment, before moving to continue.

"Violet... is her actual name-"

Mustang's hand had shot out and grabbed my lips between two fingers, but he had an amused grin on his face. It was tired, but it was…proud. I knew I was right.

"Not here." He whispered, "Go down the two blocks and when you get to a dead end take the dirt trail and it will wind up in my backyard."

Then there was an oak door in my face and I let out a shaken breath and I blinked a few times before turning and looking along the street. There was a few parked cars along the drive. It was a nice neighborhood, suburban, the houses were two stories and moderate size. Each of them looked sleepy but having seen the look on Mustang's face each window was sinister. I made my way back down his drive and out onto the sidewalk and started following his directions, my heart pounding wildly in my ribcage - ready to attack each person that brushed past me.

Suddenly each car was a threat, each person a spy - every house could be them. Mustang and I were on the same page. Everything was making sense.

When I reached the dead end I glanced around. There was only one house here and it was run down. There was an elderly couple but they were arguing in their backyard and didn't see me. I took the dirt path into the woods and picked my way through it like a spider.

I was excited. I knew this shouldn't be fun. It had been a long time since I'd done something as remotely exciting as prowling through the woods to meet in a secret rendezvous with Mustang. My hands were placed close together, the circle for making my arm into a blade fresh in my mind. I hadn't used it in so long.

I controlled my breathing as I crept, looking up for anything dangerous, then down before I took my next step so I wouldn't make any noise. I had got about five minutes along the looping trail before I heard a crack and I jumped back behind a tree, pressing my whole body there. Someone else was creeping along the other way and they had paused too.

There was a sudden near-silence of the two of us breathing, unable to see each other, before I poked my head out and saw the edge of a black jacket.

"Mustang?" I whispered, guessing that it was him from his jacket alone. I had noted every article of clothing he had worn as of late. I lived vicariously through his wardrobe and how he looked in them.

"Fullmetal?"

We both relaxed and stepped out from behind the trees with a brief sigh and he reached forward, taking two long strides, and had my arm in his hand, leading me off the path and into the woods. We didn't speak, and the feeling of his hand on my arm had temporarily made me lost for words until we popped out on another street perhaps five blocks down.

We walked then, side by side, briskly. I followed him without question.

"Am I right?" I whispered, unable to restrain myself any longer and he made a small shake of his head but his lips pursed into a fragile complicated frown. It was a look I had never seen on his face.

"I knew you would. I love you." He managed after a moment, the admission one of relief and pride - although the three words made the same impact in my chest as if he had truly meant it in that way. His voice was so soft I almost lost it amid the sound of cars.

"You wanted me to find out." I accused.

"No." He told me, "But yes."

Fucking complicated man. Why did I like him so much?

"I hoped you wouldn't." He admitted, "It makes this whole thing even more complicated. But I wanted you to. I knew you would anyways when I saw you looking at her the first day she showed up at H.Q."

"What? The cookies?" I hadn't thought he had seen me see her. In fact, I couldn't remember him even being there much less seeing me checking her out.

"Yeah." He whispered, pulling me into a small bar and moving straight past the bartender and into the back before the majority of the people had realized he had entered. The bartender simply gave us a lazy glance. He was in on it.

Mustang didn't speak or stop until we had turned into a smaller room where they cleaned the glasses. They were hanging on a shelf across the way and there was a large white sink. The light illuminated his hair nicely - flickering and giving a plaintive buzzing noise.

"When did you figure it out?" He asked, turning back to me.

"Only a few hours ago." I sighed, "One of the Moretti gave me the tip I had been waiting for and it struck me as too lucky. At least for me." I gave him a sheepish grin. Nothing ever came easy for me, so I had a hard time thinking perhaps I had actually done my job right.

"And the fact that there was no Violet Cardenas in the census had always bothered me." I knew he knew about me looking her up, "So then I was trying to figure out why everything felt so off and I started to piece things together."

I crossed my arms, glancing away from him to the glasses.

"Violet Cardenas isn't Violet Cardenas at all. She's one of the Moretti. Her family resemblance isn't uncanny but her and her younger brother share the same eyes and cheekbones. I'd been trying to figure out where she came from and why you were marrying her for a while but then it all started to click into place. When you started telling me to lay off her but didn't tell me why -"

I looked up at him, asking silently if I was on the right track here. He merely shifted a bit, guilty, before looking back at me.

"Her real name is Carlotta Moretti and her father is the head of the Black Knights. About a month ago they figured out that you weren't really Jacob-whoever and took it as an opportunity. Not only did Carlotta need someone to marry but they had a perfect way to infiltrate the military and by doing so skirt over the police."

"So you've been blackmailed." I told him blankly.

"Yes." He told me just as dryly.

"Let me get this straight." I sighed, pushing my hair out of my face, "You're being forced to do whatever the mob wants because they knew that I worked for the police the whole time and you didn't want them to hurt me?"

He shifted.

"And you didn't tell me..?"

"Because I knew you'd do something stupid. And because they've been watching me constantly."

"Does it matter? I had been telling the Chief of Police to just let me go in there and handle it like I would have five years ago and he won't let me. I could have the whole gang done and gone in a day." I hissed.

Mustang grabbed my shoulders and I fell silent instantly.

"No." He hushed, "You were always way over your head, Edward. Carlotta and Adrien Moretti are both trained in alchemy and they are quite good at it." I looked in his eyes and knew he was telling the truth, that Carlotta had shown him it first-hand. I had been wondering why Mustang hadn't just blown her apart and apparently I had my answer.

We fell into silence for a long moment, looking at each other before I tilted my head sideways and up at him. I leaned back against the brick wall of the bar away from the cabinet full of glass and the tub and Mustang was forced to lean over me - hands still on my shoulders.

"So you don't like her?" I asked coyly, searching his eyes and watching as his lips twitched into a rare tired smile.

"No." He told me. His voice was so beautiful.

And I felt that - despite the fact that I had hit my own brother and that Winry was coming over today, that Mustang was forced to marry a member of a dangerous mob and that we couldn't just blow up, everything was suddenly perfect. A smile unwound on my face until I was grinning an earsplitting grin and I felt light and happy and love-sick and I grabbed the back of his neck and kissed him.

He gave a surprised noise but after only a second he leaned into me and I wondered if this was one of those embarrassing dreams. Alphonse wasn't the only one who talked in his sleep - it was a family thing.

Alphonse was wiped from my mind, though, when suddenly his tongue was in my mouth and I felt unbearably hot and insecure. There was only one person that could make me feel so unsure, and his hands were under my shirt.

I grabbed his shoulders for no real reason other than I had to touch him to make sure he was real as his lips came off mine and then back on like a bird - taking off and landing and taking off again, each kiss was different. I found a different tooth or his tongue went under mine.

It wasn't until he pulled away with a soft noise that I realized I had one hand on his ass and one leg wrapped around him tightly.

"Edward." He simply said, but it was addressing me in a personal level. A friend, an equal, not Fullmetal. It was completely different and I soaked it up, moving to kiss it off his lips and taste it before he pulled back again, eyes clearing much to my dismay.

"I don't have that much time." He murmured.

"What?" I griped, still not quite reemerged from that kiss. His hands were still around me and my hand hadn't quite gotten the memo we were done and grabbing his ass wasn't warranted or appropriate anymore.

"I said.." He whispered, gently untangling himself from where I had pulled him in like a batch of vines against the brick wall, "That I have to go back before they notice I'm gone."

"The wedding is in two days." I whispered.

"I know." He told me, straightening his shirt a bit and fixing the back of his hair where I had ruined it. No-not ruined. It looked decidedly better all ruffled.

"And?" I asked, disbelief slamming me, "What? You're still going to marry her?" I gaped, "I thought I was a better kisser than that."

He gave a small laugh in the back of his throat like his throat was speaking for itself and telling me that it was, indeed, a good kiss before he sighed.

"I hope not." He stated smoothly, "But it seems that way. At least for now." He sounded extremely distraught. This little venture was something he had not predicted and couldn't control. He was not used to being watched so intently. In the military there had always been tapped lines, but he had been trusted enough among superiors to not be considered the threat he was. Now he was surveyed and judged constantly like a pawn among people certainly more dangerous than the military.

I frowned, seeing he hadn't thought up a plan yet. Or if he did it wasn't one of his better ones. And a cold snap rushed through me because Mustang _always_ had a plan.

"And now this has all gotten a lot more complex." He sighed, but didn't seem put out, "You're going to have to act the way you have been."

"What? Act like I don't know they know that I'm not really Jacob Taylor?" I repeated, "I'm not a good actor."

"Clearly." He snapped at me, but it wasn't cold. I tossed a glare at him, but I watched as his eyes started to deepen and spark and he tossed me a cryptic grin.

"Don't worry. We'll think of something." He told me. The "_we_" didn't escape unnoticed by me and the fact that we were now a team had me glowing. I knew instantly that - while he didn't want me to find out and have to keep up a charade that would eventually fail - he wanted to have a partner in crime. He hadn't wanted to be the only one knowing he had been blackmailed. He wanted me to know - needed me to know, that he didn't really like her.

Plus I had the deep feeling, as he grabbed me and gave me a chaste lingering kiss on the forehead before moving out the door and out the back entrance of the bar, that Mustang just enjoyed having to come up with really difficult plans.

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Feedback please, review. The end of this story is going to be either next chapter or the chapter after that. I know, fast right?


	10. Wrenches & Plans

**Matchbreaker  
**

_Represent_

_Author's Note_: Alright another shortish chapter. I still don't know how I'm going to end this. Thanks to my friend, Grace for trying to help me come up with good ideas. I kind of know how I want it to go but its really vague. I guess I'll just start writing and see where it goes… There will be either one or two more chapters. I'm thinking two. The wedding will be in the next one.

* * *

"Look."

"Do you want salt?"

"No thank you."

"I-"

"This steak is nice."

"Thanks."

"Alphonse-"

"Aren't you going to say Happy Birthday, brother?"

I swallowed, poking my steak with my fork.

"Happy Birthday, Winry." I replied dutifully, popping in a bit and chewing so that she wouldn't try and talk to me. The whole dinner had been strange and tense, Winry glaring daggers into me and Alphonse sulking with a bruise the side of a golf ball across his jaw. I hadn't thought I'd hit him _that_ hard, but his newer body was a lot more fragile than I had originally thought.

"Thank you, Edward." Winry stated to me nicely. It was too nice, it was one of those girl voices that they used to tell you that they were being mature enough to forgive you, but not really. It was the worst, because they'd then refuse to say anything to you and give you dirty glares but wouldn't admit they were mad.

Winry was quite beautiful. She had dressed in her yellow sundress with a small jacket that was hanging in the hallway and her hair was curled at the ends. And.. Was that mascara? I knew I was gay when I noticed she was wearing mascara. I wondered why she was wearing mascara briefly.

There was a small cough and I stopped looking and returned to my food. I wanted desperately to tell Alphonse what had happened earlier today. About Mustang, about Violet - Carlotta. About what was going on, but I couldn't. Not with Winry here, and not with him pissed at me for smacking him.

"Look. I'm sorry ok." I managed out, swallowing the bit of steak, "I shouldn't have hit you."

Alphonse gave me a quick glance up before poking at his food again. So apparently he wasn't mad over the hit. He was still upset over the whole Winry and me deal and the fact that I hadn't come to pick her up. That was something that I wasn't willing to apologize about. I frowned.

"I shouldn't have said.. That." Al admitted quietly.

My eyes shot up from the plate and we stared at each other for a moment.

"It was cruel." Alphonse continued, "I hate fighting."

"Me too." I mumbled, only just with Al. Alphonse always made me feel crappy whenever we fought. He was underhanded and used guilt. Winry was silent throughout this whole exchange and I could see the curiosity in her eyes, wanting to know why I had hit him, wanting to know what Alphonse had said.

She could barely contain herself.

It was only after dinner that Winry had gone to change into something more comfortable and left Alphonse and I alone in the room. I was certain that she wasn't changing at all, but giving us some sort of privacy to work things out. Winry, despite being stupid about which brother to love, wasn't all that stupid about other things.

"I didn't think I hit you that hard." I shifted, slumping down on the couch next to him and watching as he kept toying with that stupid ribbon on the box.

"It didn't really hurt." Al stated with a crooked grin, "Just shocked me."

We were silent for a moment before I asked him, "How did we get so messed up so fast?"

And we both laughed. It had seemed like just yesterday that were had been inseparable. That Alphonse and I were always together, always sticking up for each other. Alphonse blushed a bit and I grabbed the box from his tittering fingers and put it back on the coffee table to keep him from messing with it.

"I guess since I got my body back. And my hormones." Alphonse admitted wryly.

I snorted.

"I'm sorry about Winry." I told him honestly and it made him shift and shake his head a little bit and he glanced up at the ceiling where the fan was swirling lazily.

"No, Ed. I'm sorry." He mumbled to me, "Its not like you can help who you like just like its not my fault who I like or Winry likes. Its just been so stressful lately and you were the only person here for me to direct my anger at."

I shrugged at him, not really caring that he had been ranting at me. It had only been when he had started trying to prevent me from doing things and seeing people that I had gotten cornered and lashed out.

"I'm sorry for being an uncaring asshole." I told him.

"I'm sorry for calling you an uncaring asshole." Alphonse replied.

"I'm sorry I called you a girl." I shot back.

"I'm sorry for acting like one."

"I'm sorry for hitting you."

"I'm sorry I called you stupid."

He didn't call me stupid but I shoved him a bit and he shoved me back and we thumped each other on the shoulders and suddenly everything was okay again and we didn't need to talk about it any more. I leaned a bit closer to him, hearing Winry setting plates in the kitchen just across the way.

"All you need to do now is just play up that bruise and make her take care of you." I whispered.

"But it's not that bad." Alphonse frowned.

"Trust me." I grinned, wanting to tell him about everything that had happened, feeling like I could right now before Winry walked into the room and I was forced to stop talking and I scooted a bit away from Al when she moved to sit directly between us.

She flopped down, still in the same outfit despite having 'changed' and gave us both a small smile. Her hands rubbed on our knees fondly.

"All better, boys?" She asked.

"Yep." Alphonse answered, I rolled my eyes.

"Open your presents." I sighed after a moment.

"If you insist." She replied, and I was sure that she hadn't forgiven me just yet. It was when her eyes landed on the bracelet that her jaw dropped open and her eyes got all watery that I scooted a bit away from her.

"Oh, Al!" She cried, wrapping paper flying around as she moved to hug him and I raised an eyebrow at him from where his head was on her shoulder. He was blushing, it was a charming look. "It's beautiful! Did you make this by hand?"

"Yeah." Alphonse scratched his head a bit, humbled. "Its not that good. Its just, you know.. I thought you'd maybe want something different.."

He trailed off, watching as Winry beamed and threw the bracelet on her wrist and snapped it on. It was a little big, but she didn't seem to care. To be quite honest it wasn't all that pretty. She adored it though, and I felt a smirk grow across my face when she got up and run upstairs and try and find some matching necklace to go with it.

"Told you."

"Shut up."

We both glanced away from each other, smirking our own little smirks for maybe half a second before Winry had burst back into the room wearing a simple silver chain around her neck. It complimented the bracelet, I suppose. It wasn't like I was big on fashion or anything.

"Thank you so much." She gusted, "They're little wrenches!"

"You can tell what they are?" I asked dryly and got bashed over the head in a millisecond.

The rest of the night passed without major event. Winry moved gradually from the bracelet to the card, and then my card, and if her facial expression was anything to go by I was right in thinking that Alphonse had written a novel. She merely tossed a polite thank you in my direction and started to fawn over Al's bruised face like a wife, puttering nonsense and giving me dirty looks as she pressed cold compresses to his jaw. Alphonse, taking my advice since my bracelet one had worked so well, winced every time she pressed, making her give sympathetic noises.

I had a feeling things were moving in the right direction. She barely paid attention to me all night, not that I cared, and her sole focus had shifted to my brother and his thoughtful present and how I had bashed him upside the head and only given her a lame textbook card.

She batted her mascara eyelashes at Alphonse before telling him, and only him, that she was going to bed, before retreating for the night.

I couldn't wait any longer to tell Al about my little escapade earlier. I grabbed Alphonse by the hand and steered him into the study, closing the door behind me so that Winry couldn't hear us even if she was trying to. Al still had this kind of dumb-struck look on his face, like he wasn't sure if Winry had actually just suggested that to him or not.

I shook him a bit until he woke back up.

"What are you doing?" Al sighed, sitting down in the chair I pushed him in.

"Violet is one of the Moretti."I blurted out, spilling everything that had happened and watching as his face grew from curious to happy to extremely unsure.

"-And then we kissed and he left." I finished in a rush.

Alphonse, however, had stopped listening to me by that point.

"Wait." He muttered, "Roy is marrying Carlotta Moretti?" He repeated.

"And he kissed me." I pushed, trying to get him to be happy for me for maybe two seconds, but Al wasn't having it, he glossed over that fact, upset.

"How in the world are we going to do this then?" He griped, "At least if she had just been a normal person we could have used normal tactics. But she has a whole mob family backing her _and_ managed to blackmail Mustang."

This was true, I hadn't thought it was possible to thwart Mustang. Roy was the crème-de-la-crème of manipulation and scheming. I didn't want to ponder to hard over how he had been duped. Or if not duped, taken by surprise. Because Roy was also never taken by surprise. It was both an annoying and endearing trait of his.

"The wedding is in two days." Alphonse continued, "And we can't even talk to Mustang since they have him watched."

I didn't want to hear this. I turned my head away from him, unable to look at the stain of defeat in his eyes. I didn't want to give up, not yet. I couldn't, especially not that I knew that Roy didn't really like her. That there was a possibility that we could be together.

"You can't stop now." I accused, "You said you'd help me."

"I'm not giving up, Ed." Alphonse sighed, "I'm just pointing out how ridiculously hard this is all going to be. We can't just rush in there with guns blazing."

"Why not?" I challenged, "The family will be at the wedding."

"Why are you so sure?" Alphonse glanced at me briefly.

I shrugged. I didn't know why I was sure to be honest, but I knew. Something about the way they worked and how I had been observing them for the past year or so. It was what they did. Even though the wedding was a farce they were still going to show up. Not only would it be strange to have their side of the chapel empty, but they were going to be there to enforce Roy's decision. To make sure he didn't back out.

They worked as a block, moving together, only in certain times would they split up if necessary. The smaller men wouldn't be there, but Carlotta's father, and Adrien Moretti would be. The major minds behind the operation. I rubbed my hands together, feeling sparks of alchemy just waiting to course through their bodies.

"No." Alphonse snapped, shaking me back to the present, "You can't just go in there and kill people. Even if they are some of the most wanted criminals in Central."

He rubbed his head with his fingers, touching his bruised jaw faintly with a small wince.

"The police want them arrested and detained, they want the drugs more than they want to convict them. You can't just kill them, you'll be arrested for treason. Your orders weren't to attack."

"Details." I muttered, but I knew he was right. In all honesty I just wanted to kill them for messing around with Mustang and for making me so agitated over the past few months. It would be a few less criminals. "Besides, I'm working with the police, not the military."

"You're working for both." Al snapped, "Stop playing dumb. It's annoying."

I sighed.

"Besides, if Mustang says that Carlotta is trained in alchemy, she must really be trained in alchemy."

I shifted, having been thinking about that all day. Roy had told me that both Adrien and Carlotta were not to be thought of lightly. I hadn't seen any of their alchemy first-hand, and had doubted that they were better than me until Mustang had given me that look.

"Then what plan do you have?" I asked him dryly, having already offered mine.

"I'll sleep on it." Al got up and stretched, glancing up and remembering that Winry was up in the guest room and a small smile crossed his lips and I moved out of the way, watching him lumber past and feeling a bit guilty for getting him all involved in this when he had everything he wanted upstairs.

I didn't move from the room for a long time, couldn't sleep. The whole thing was a tangled mess and the most frustrating thing was that he was right in front of me and I couldn't have him. I had kissed him only hours ago and yet that was all soon to be gone.

I licked my lips, eyes fluttering closed as I felt the hard surface of the bricks in the back wash room of the bar again and his weight pressed against mine. Not leaning on me, simply there. I already missed him. Not for the first time the desire to kill Carlotta crossed my mind as I sank miserably into the chair.

I heard the creak of the stairs as Alphonse went to bed and I watched the candle flicker across the room, solitary.

I didn't want to be alone.

* * *

Review, please!


	11. The Wedding

**Matchbreaker  
**

_Represent_

_Author's Note_: Alright here's the wedding, guys. I lied. This is the last chapter. It's a little rushed and all crammed into one chapter but I'll make it up to you with a extra one-shot after this story.

* * *

"Hey, Ed. Do you know what's going on?" Hughes whispered, grabbing my arm. The church was completely full, thanks to me. I glanced out, seeing the Moretti family filling the seats on the right side of the aisle and the left side full of Roy's friends and lots of people he hadn't invited, but I had.

I had taken Al's invitation and copied it, editing it a bit and sent it to a bunch of people I thought should be attending this before I went along with my plan. The Fuhrer, the chief of police, just for a few.

Hughes' eyes were sharp, searching mine. He knew something was up, had been up. He knew that Roy would rather stick his head in a blender than marry someone. After all, it had been him trying to get the man to settle down so much as of late. This whole thing had him suspicious and frustrated that he couldn't figure it out.

"Yeah." I told him, "Don't worry."

"Edward." He hissed, "No offense, but I don't exactly trust you with things like this."

Ah so maybe he knew more about this whole thing than I thought. He pulled back and straightened his tie nervously. I patted him on the arm briefly, trying to give him a reassuring smile, but he didn't buy it. He was used to plans. It was why Roy and him were such good friends. He was used to knowing everything and being one step ahead, but as it was we were well and truly stuck.

"Where's Mustang?" I asked after a second.

"In the back room." Hughes stated, eyes moving across the Moretti. He knew who they were, as I was sure that the police chief and various subordinates of Roy did as well. Hawkeye was fingering her dress, not allowed a gun inside, looking positively distraught, but as it was they could do nothing. The Moretti hadn't done anything here to warrant an arrest and there was no strong evidence that they had blackmailed Roy. Not yet.

I moved down the hallway, the thought that this whole thing might not work was something I refused to think about. I hadn't come this far to give up, and I didn't get as far as I did by thinking about what would happen should I fail.

I pushed the door open, not knocking or thinking I should knock. Mustang's back was stiff and he jumped as soon as the door handle clicked.

"It's just me." I told him.

"Oh, good." Mustang grabbed me by the arm, yanking me inside and slamming the door closed, "Okay, listen to me, Edward. This is what you are going to do-"

I pushed my fingers to his lip, not really wanting to hear his plan.

"No, I've figured it out. I think." I told him, watching as his face grew from shocked to puzzled to scared and unsure in about two seconds.

"This is my _life _you're talking about, Fullmetal." He growled, breath puffing through my fingers.

"Don't you think I know that?" I hissed, "It's mine too."

He fell silent.

"Just trust me, for once." I said, removing my fingers. Roy's hand reached out and grabbed them, trapping them against his palm and he drew me closer slowly until his head was very close to mine and I could barely breathe. His eyes were studious and intense against mine, making me feel like I was being tested. I glared back until he gave a weak twitch of a small smile, relenting.

"I do." He whispered, and it made my chest clench and my heart pound and I knew suddenly that I couldn't fail, because now it wasn't just myself that was failing, but him too. And I could never fail him.

"Good." I managed out, "Just don't say that again tonight. Unless its to me."

Roy grabbed my hand where it was near his face and he pulled me forward. I nearly toppled until he grabbed my shoulders too and I wasn't sure if it was him or me that leaned in first but we were kissing. It was different than before, more desperate. I could taste the fear, which only made my own stomach clench. On the outside he seemed stoic and calm, but his tongue told the truth, batting against my molars frantically.

I gave a small moan, fingers fisting into the lapels of his black jacket as I leaned heavily into him. He was leaning against a table top, a mirror extending out. I was sure that this room was where the bride was supposed to be or something, not knowing were Carlotta was at this point, not caring.

I pressed my lips along his to the soft indent where his lips turned into his cheek and followed the curve there. It wasn't pronounced, but his face was round before hitting sharp cheekbones. Mustang's lips parted as I reached his jaw-line with a content sigh before he caught mine again.

The fact that there was going to be a wedding in less than ten minutes was lost by me and the butterflies in my stomach wasn't because of what I was going to do to stop it, but the fact that Mustang's hand was under my shirt and he was unbuttoning it quickly. I was sure that this was against the rules as I groaned and pressed the length of my body along his, grinding and earning an appreciative moan.

I mean, even if this wedding was the biggest farce in history, doing this with the groom only minutes before he was going to get wed was probably morally wrong.

"God-" Mustang managed out, hands on my hips as I undid the buttons I was sure that he had just buttoned. Eyes locked on the prize - the expanse of beautiful porcelain white skin. I had only caught glimpses of it through a collar and it was enough to make my mouth water.

Our skin brushing was electricity, making me dizzy. I panted with want, meeting his black heated eyes with a meaningful look of my own. The fact was there was enough uncertainty about what was about to happen that had us both rubbing against each other desperately - this might be our last chance.

I was sure that Mustang would have never let this happen if he wasn't as uncertain as he was right now. I knew that he was the kind of person that did dates and roses and shit, but I wasn't and I needed this, even if it was just a small taste of what I was fighting for.

It was fifteen shared moans and a few collective gasps later that had me buttoning up my shirt again, seeing that tabletop in a different light. I glanced at Mustang, a small smirk lighting across my lips.

"What?" He asked, rooting around for his tie.

"Nothing." I lied.

"_What_?" He insisted.

I grabbed around, finding his old shirt that he had changed out of and I pressed it to his face.

"You're sweaty." I grinned.

"Oh."

He grabbed the shirt, moving to the mirror and trying to make himself appear presentable.

"Why aren't you?" He accused.

I shrugged. I didn't know honestly. I didn't sweat all that much, unless I was out in a desert or something. I generally was in pretty good shape. Roy, apparently, wasn't. He was glaring at me sideways before finishing up.

"Better?"

"You can hardly tell unless you're looking." I affirmed.

He grunted and I pressed my cheek against his arm after a moment, needed a brief moment of reassurance. He seemed to sense that, kissing the top of my head with a lot more caress than before and rubbing my back.

I found it ridiculous that I needed a bit of comfort when _he_ was the one going off to get married to a witch.

"I trust you." He whispered softly, "I'm not worried."

"Liar." I muttered.

"Okay, maybe a little." He admitted with a chuckle.

"Just don't marry her." I told him, pulling back a little, "No matter what. Promise me."

Mustang frowned, glancing down at me, sensing and following my plan along and not liking it at all.

"Edward-" He started, but I grabbed him and kissed him.

"_Promise_." I repeated, demanded.

"Alright, fine." He relented, glancing up as Hughes poked his head into the room, Havoc standing out, twirling a cigarette in his fingers, obviously not happy that Roy was two minutes late and that the church had a no-smoking policy.

"Ready?" Hughes asked, voice low and concerned, gaze flicking between the two of us suspiciously and I was glad suddenly that I had straightened my hair back up.

"As I'll ever be." Roy muttered.

I followed him out of the room, moving down and taking my seat, Havoc slipping in next to me, Al on my other side with Winry who had dolled herself all up and had no clue what was about to go down. My gaze moved over and caught Al's look before I glanced back at the police and the Fuhrer. There was a lot of people with firearms in here I was sure. They had concealed them when I had let slip that the Moretti were going to be attending. They were watching, curious.

I slumped back against the chair and Alphonse gave my hand a small squeeze and I knew he was ready, ready to have my back just like before. I was stupid to think anything had really changed between us. Winry was looking over the invitation and the décor.

The whole thing kind of passed by like a blur. When Hughes and Roy walked down and stood next to the preacher I couldn't help but stare at him. My eyes didn't leave his face and I knew he knew I was watching. I knew that his little quirk of his lips was for me.

When Carlotta came out I felt smug, remembering Roy's body pressed against mine only minutes before. She was pretty, I guess, but knowing who she truly was kind of ruined her get up in my eyes. Alphonse was tense next to me. Everyone was tense. The Moretti were staring at Roy intensely, intimidating, Adrien ready to attack at moment's notice.

It was stupid of them to come, I realized.

"Do you, Roy Mustang, take Violet Cardenas to be your lawfully wedded wife to love and to hold from this day forward, until death do you part?"

I felt my breath clench in my chest.

Mustang leaned back a little, making no move to take her hand and he simply gave a crooked smile that I loved so much, looking aloof for a moment and almost embarrassed before he parted those lips that had been all over me just a while before..

"No."

The word seemed to echo and there was silent for a moment and my face grew into an ear-splitting grin.

"Excuse me, son?" The preacher blinked.

"I said, no." Roy repeated slowly, "I do not take this woman to be my wife." He clarified further and I watched Carlotta grow tense, hands going white and stiff against her bouquet.

"What, honey?" She hissed, "What do you mean?" She gave a nervous tinny laugh.

Roy took off the ring that had just been placed there and gave it to the preacher, unpinning the rose from his lapel. My eyes were magnetized to each of his movements before I remembered myself and watched Carlotta and Adrien critically. They were both poised, teeth gritting.

"I mean, that I'm tired of being blackmailed." Roy sighed tiredly, "I don't really do that kind of thing. It's usually the other way around."

Carlotta jerked forward and Hughes was suddenly there, hand on her arm.

"I don't know what you're saying." Carlotta laughed, "Don't be silly. Did you hit your head or something? Don't you _remember_?"

"Remember what, Carlotta?" Roy asked from behind Hughes. Without his gloves he was defenseless.

The remember clearly meant the consequences of not going through with this. Adrien's eyes flicked from Carlotta to me and I took that as my cue, seeing things were about to get bloody.

"Yeah, remember what?" I asked, Al rising next to me instinctively. Havoc blinked and watched us get up, moving a bit out of our way before rising as well, smelling something was going on. Riza popped up as well, and Breda. They were unsure what was going to happen, but knew a pre-fight tension.

At the sight of us standing the Moretti family rose too, all seventeen of them and they faced us - looking murderous at the realization that I knew.

Adrien in particular looked duped.

"How could you know?" One of the dumber of the family hissed out and Adrien looked ready to punch him. It was as good as a confession as the military needed to charge them with conspiracy and attempted blackmail.

Adrien seemed to sense that it was over, seeing the police stand and recognizing a few of the officers, not having realized that I had invited over twenty of the policemen from the furthest part of town in. I found out Roy had ties with so many people it was easy to round up a few of them and bring them in. They weren't in their uniforms, but they pulled out their concealed weapons.

"This is a CHURCH!" The preacher shouted as he spotted the guns and most of the Moretti raised their hands in defeat. Except for Carlotta and Adrien.

Carlotta had grabbed her gloves and pulled them off, rolling back the sleeves of her dress and I saw the arrays spreading all the way up her arms and I felt the air grow stale and then suddenly I couldn't breath. I felt Al's hand on my back clench and I knew he couldn't either, glancing at Roy and Hughes and the rest of this side of the room - everyone's eyes wide in panic and clutching at their throats.

I sputtered and felt my head to start to spin, bringing my hands together and slamming them to the marble ground and slamming a bit of the material into Carlotta's side. The transmutation making me weak on not enough air - risky, the chances of a rebound went higher the more out of it I was.

I knew why Roy had trouble with her in an instant. He couldn't blow her up without oxygen and she was sapping the air from it, changing the air into toxic gas. I quickly clapped and battled it back, fingertips hitting the air until most of it was breathable again.

She was picking herself up, but Hughes had recovered faster than most of us and had her by the neck, flung against the wall.

Adrien gave a shriek, suddenly closer than I expected, right to my side and I felt his body slam into me and we tumbled over the fifth pew and across the ground, a few of the guests shrieking and I could feel Al's hum of alchemy dart past the top of my head, a few more cracks. Apparently Carlotta and Adrien weren't the only ones with alchemy in the family.

There were tattoos spiraling up Adrien's arms as he slammed me against the ground again. I couldn't decipher them as he kept pushing me, but I got my hands free and clapped, pulling a dagger out of the floor - knowing I wasn't supposed to kill them but wanting too all the same.

He jolted off me and even though I could see Al in the background fighting another and the policemen wrestling to subdue the other side, the chaos was easily ignored as I watched Adrien's arms start to glow and I steeled myself.

There was a jolt and a loud booming noise and I hardly had time to curse as I realized just what those arrays did before I felt the agony spread through every ounce of my body and everything turn black for a moment. My eyes jittered, the electricity running through me over and leaving me breathless and panting against the marble.

"_Fuck_." I hissed. I needed to learn that one.

My limbs were numb as I tried to get up, hearing the crack and wincing, preparing for the second hit as my heart pounded in fluttering weak flits in my chest. And then it didn't hit. I glanced up, alarmed, before seeing Winry- _god bless that girl_- swing her purse around and connect with Adrien's head. His eyes and attention focused on finishing me off and not realizing that the girl behind him had a wrench in her five ton bag.

He toppled over with a surprised scream.

"You BASTARD!" She was screaming over and over, stomping on his head despite the fact he was clearly down and out. I almost told her I loved her in that moment, before I felt a pair of strong hands grab my waist and hoist me up.

Roy. His eyes were wide and full of concern, face flushed and a little sweaty. I could tell he had been partaking in part of the fighting. I almost told him he needed to work out more, but my tongue wasn't working. His face was blurry. His arm moved, hooking around my back and pushing on my shoulders to keep me upright as my strength started to flee.

He looked at me in question, mouthing something, I couldn't hear him, but I could see my name on his lips. It looked delicious.

I watched, disappointed, as my vision darkened around that pair of lips.

* * *

"Edward?"

"Yeah?" I answered, hearing Roy's voice drifting somewhere from my right.

"That was your plan?" Roy's voice sounded agitated, "You're so reckless."

"Not so much a plan.. As.." I sighed, opening my eyes and finding his face several inches from mine. My head was pounding, "Shit. What the fuck did he do?"

"I'm not sure." Mustang replied softly, seeing me wince and kissing me gently on the forehead. He looked like he hadn't gotten much sleep. He wasn't in his tux anymore, in the shirt that I had used to dabble up his sweat before. I drank him in with a stupid grin on my face.

"So did it work?" I asked.

"Yeah." He admitted, "Adrien and Carlotta are in prison for attacking a State Alchemist."

He smiled.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like I got electrocuted."

"Well, you did." Mustang stated, brushing a few pieces of my hair out of my face and sighing, leaning back and glancing up at Alphonse who I just realized was in the room, Winry leaning on him - asleep. He grinned at me.

"I would leave the two of you alone." Alphonse told me, "But I have a tumor."

Winry let out a small grunt, shifting.

"And she hasn't sleep for a day."

"How long have I been out?" I blinked.

"A few days." Mustang soothed, "You scared me."

"How's everyone else?"

"Hughes got a few bruises but he'll be fine. No one else got hit like you did. A few cuts here and there."

I mumbled something in the back of my throat, tired. Not liking being in a hospital, but not feeling well enough to protest it right now. As long as I didn't see the needles.

Mustang's hand was on mine, enveloping it with warmth and I sighed, letting my eyes drop.

"Sleep." He murmured, reassuring me that it was all over and I was tempted to obey him for this once. His breath tickled my hair and he placed a small kiss across my forehead. If I hadn't felt like shit maybe I'd have given him grief for treating me like a kid, but it felt wonderful after days of worrying that this might be over.

"Told you..I'd do it." I whispered.

"You did." Mustang agreed.

"Now you owe me." I smirked.

"Go to sleep." He repeated, with a bit more force this time, "I'll be here when you wake up."

I merely sighed, letting out a breath and relaxing. A stupid grin broke out across my face.

"Hey Roy." I whispered dreamily.

He made a noise.

"Got ya. Finally." I told him, promptly falling asleep before I could hear his reply to that.

* * *

THE END. And you guys get a bonus one-shot.


	12. OneShot What Happens In Vegas

**What Happens In Vegas**

(a one shot)**  
**

_Author's Note_: And here is a silly little little one-shot that I thought goes well with the end of this story. This doesn't take place during any of the actual story. It was an except from an rp that I did and I got permission to edit it from the person that played Roy and post it here. Instead of post yet _another_ story about marriage I'll just tack this on here and let you guys at it. This was our version of Roy and Ed's marriage.

Just a note. Roy and Edward are both teenagers. Roy is nineteen and Edward is eighteen. They're skipping off to get eloped without parental permission on a budget of like a hundred dollars. And Roy is a bit OOC mainly because he's half his normal age.

* * *

Vegas.

Roy pulled both of their suitcases behind them, looking up at the Luxor.

"Criss Angel, eat your heart out," He grinned back at Edward. "Come on, we have an appointment we have to keep."

"Don't rush me." Edward muttered, moving as quickly as possible to find the bathroom in the hotel, and sighing, moving back out and popping his suitcase open and running a finger through his hair. He had suggested using his hybrid to save gas, but Roy had refused to let him drive. Something about chivalry. To which Edward had remarked that chivalry didn't pay for gas and now they were already like a hundred bucks in the hole. Roy had waved it off.

"I wonder if you're dad is going to be mad or happy about this." Edward asked conversationally, already knowing the answer. They hadn't told him, they hadn't told Dante either, but she probably hadn't noticed Ed was gone yet. Roy's father had made it clear that he didn't approve, which was part of the reason why they had drove off all cohort-like.

"I don't care," Roy whispered, pulling Edward for a kiss to shut him up for a moment. He nuzzled Edward's cheek gently, watching as Edward tugged a bit at his hair.

"Well, considering he'll be my father-in-law and I've never had a father, I kind of want him to like me." Edward grumbled, sore from sitting in the car for over six hours. He watched as Roy dug in his pocket and revealed the rings. He snorted. They were those plastic ones you got out of the twenty-five cent machines. At least they wouldn't turn his finger green.

He smiled tiredly, kissing the other on the nose after a moment, knowing when they grew older they could afford to get nice ones. If they wanted to.

"I love them." He told the other truthfully, not picky, "I get the blue one. You get the pink one."

"Hold on, how the hell did we decide this?" Roy groused, slipping the blue one on before Edward could reach out and grab it out of his palm. "See, this one is bigger," He handed over the pink one.

"You jerk." Edward pouted, hitting the man on the shoulder, "Are you suggesting my hand is small?"

Roy didn't reply, grabbing his jacket and tossing the car keys onto the bedside table before leaving the room. He stalled at the threshold and opened the way for the shorter blond. Grinning from ear to ear, he motioned toward the door. "Shall we?"

Edward glowered, but never-the-less followed the other's motion and left through the door, pulling his hair back again to make it tidier and tried to slick back a few stray strands. He thought it was the least he could do considering they couldn't afford tuxes, either. They both had a tie on, they were on clearance sale and they had picked them up at Macy's on the way over. Edward's had lightening bolts on it. It was about as close to dressy as they were going to get.

Edward flicked it with a smirk, walking down the hallway and watched as Roy's eyes flicked and looked down at it.

Roy glared at the offending tie, but it wasn't much better than his with the periodic table on it. They didn't really have a range of choices when it came to clearance and Edward had talked him into it.

"You know, this is so hillbilly, right?" He asked, pressing the elevator button.

Edward simply laughed, "It could be worse." He reminded, "At least we'll remember this vividly."

They circled out the lobby and out onto the street. It was still night out, but the city was bustling. Prostitutes smoked questionable material and strutted around in all their regalia while lights flashed and horns blared, tourists aiming in dizzy circles and bumping into them.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Roy walked down the strip for a moment, arm in Edward's. "Okay... here we are," Neon, flashing, white chapel. Edward had told him in the car that if they were going to get eloped in Vegas they might as well go the whole nine yards.

Edward's grin moved to megawatt and was positively wicked as he saw the cheap plastic chapel.

"Its cute." He smirked, "Are you ready, my _fiancé_?" He asked, "You know you never actually proposed." Roy had only woken him up in the dead of night and whispered the plan, grabbing his suitcase from his window on the bottom floor and shoving him into the car. Not that Edward wasn't willing - but usually it was Edward who entertained the passing whims and reckless behavior and not Roy. They had blared out of the driveway with the radio blasting and went towards the Interstate.

It was only afterwards they realized they were almost broke and needed rings.

Roy rolled his eyes.

"Okay, fine," He sighed, dusting off his jeans with one hand before kneeling delicately, one knee, as he looked up at Edward. "Edward Elric, will you marry me?"

Edward frowned.

"Please?" Roy tacked on, finding this ridiculous, knowing the blond was always difficult.

"Yeah, alright _fine._" He smirked after pondering it over for a minute, "I guess since we've come this far. You could have asked before though." Roy glared at him before Edward ducked and gave him a small kiss, yanking him up.

Roy grinned, dragging Edward the rest of the way into the chapel, effectively cutting out all means of escape. When they pushed open the doors there was an Elvis standing there, looking at them, all fat and hair gel.

"Pick out your bouquet, pretty lady," He slurred, looking at Edward who instantly bristled.

"Yeah, pick your bouquet," Roy laughed.

"I'm not a fucking _girl_." Edward hissed, knowing that this Elvis impersonator was obviously drunk, still not forgiving him. He was pretty sure that slur wasn't his poor attempt to mimic the King. His fists clenched in an effort not to smack him, Roy's hand grabbing his before he could and giving him a warning twitch of an eyebrow. He let out a frustrated exhale before grabbing a lone fire lily in one hand.

The Elvis gave a shift, glancing at his watch, and motioned toward the aisle.

"Your gunna walk down it or what?" He asked.

If Roy was offended by the Elvis' rather upfront way of going about this, he didn't let it show. Instead Roy gave a small laugh and a shrug, walking out of the room for a moment as a cheap version of "The Wedding March" began to play and Roy slowly walked down the aisle with the biggest grin on his face, tossing it back at Edward who was still standing in the back with a slightly wilted lily in one hand wondering what the hell he had let Roy get him into.

Edward simply laughed at how bizarre and yet perfect this whole thing was as he watched Roy saunter down the aisle ahead of him, periodic table tie and cheap plastic ring and all. He turned, glancing at the Elvis impersonator who was terrible at impersonating him and the flower in one hand. It hadn't hit him how weird this was yet. Maybe in a year or so. Or maybe when he went back to being a senior at High School. Or maybe when he had to face Roy's father. For now everything was happy and easy.

When it was his turn the Elvis gave a push he followed the other, not walking, but moving in a kind of fast-walk half-skip almost run. The aisle was too long and he wanted to be with Roy suddenly, not having been separated by this much space from him since he had picked him up in his car.

Roy was smiling at Edward, rocking back and forth on his heels and feet as he watched him almost sprint up the aisle.

"Okay, take your friend's hand," The Elvis had stopped trying to come up with anything remotely relating to bride and had seemed to have gotten over it. He sauntered his way up the aisle, and both Roy and Edward looked at each other with the silent horror that he was going to be their 'pastor' for the ceremony.

"Okay, do you want to say your own vows, or do you want to repeat after me?"

Roy just laughed.

"Could you say them and then have us repeat them?" Edward suggested, not having memorized any of it. He doubted Roy had either, although he gave him the benefit of the doubt. Roy seemed to have all this romantic shit down to an art-form.

Roy gripped Edward's hands, touching his thumbs against Edward's wrist, making Ed's eyes flick up and they gazed at each other for a moment, "I..."

"Wait!" The Elvis started, making them both jump. "We need two more witnesses..."

Roy let out a groan, moment ruined and he let go of Edward's hands leaving the blond at the alter and moving for the side door of the chapel.

"Fuck it," he moved toward the door, looking outside to the busy street. "Hey you two! Yeah! You... what? _NO_! Yes, you mind being two witnesses for my wedding..." Silence for a minute. "Thanks."

The door tinkled a bit as two women in leather skirts came in. One had the reddest lips Roy had ever seen as she was taller than he was. The other was a bit pudgy and was wearing a leopard print corset. They were obvious prostitutes.

"Two witnesses," He grinned.

Edward had to fight from laughing as he watched one of them light up what he was sure was pot and slink into the back, boobs nearly popping out of her corset as she took a long drag and settled back all seedy and questionable. Roy climbed back onto the main alter, seemingly undaunted and unaffected by this as they popped their gum and waggled high-heeled shoes attached to fishnetted legs.

Edward held out his hands and Roy took them again, turning to the Elvis who nodded.

"Oh, this is _SO_ beautiful," The tall one stated loudly, sitting down next to the one smoking pot. "Flo, isn't it WONDERFUL! Look at the twinkling lights."

Edward glanced up at them, not having really noticed them, silently thinking they were pretty as well, but not willing to scream that out right now. The blond was convinced that they had both had their fair share of drugs tonight. Roy's hand merely tensed on his and he coughed loudly, the lady shutting up obediently and Edward had to wonder how Roy had this superior effect on everyone - even adults.

"I, Roy, take you Edward, to be my lawfully wedded husband.." The Elvis read, having pulled out a piece of printer paper that had been folded several times over and over, "to have and to hold from this day forward..."

He paused for a second to let Roy repeat, but Edward could tell he already knew these vows by heart. Edward would have been embarrassed to not know his, had he had more than six hours to prepare for this.

"For better or for worse, for richer, for poorer..." The Elvis continued, pausing for a second as Roy recited it, before, "In sickness and in health, to love and to cherish..."

"From this day forward until death do us part."

"..From this day forward until death do us part. Though I am not sure that we can get much poorer than this, to be honest," Roy smiled at Edward, serenely. And it didn't matter that the chapel smelled like pot, that they were both wearing polyester ties that could catch fire at a moment's notice, that their Elvis was more than a little drunk. All that mattered was that Edward was THERE. Roy couldn't have cared if they had gotten married by a _dog_ in that moment- because it was Edward he was getting married to.

Nothing else mattered.

The Elvis swayed for a moment, holding up the paper in the twinkling lights and slurred to Edward.

"I, Edward, take Roy to be my lawfully wedded husband.."

"I, Edward, take Roy to be my lawfully wedded husband." Edward repeated, smiling a little at Roy, hit with a sudden shyness that Roy's hand in his squeezed away, "to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for rich or poorer, sickness and in health, to love and to cherish from this day forward until death do us part." He whispered, smile making his eyes crinkle.

They peered at each other, holding their breathes, conscious of exactly what all that entailed and loving each other in that moment more than ever before.

"Do you have the ring?" Elvis broke in.

"Yeah." Roy held up the pink, sparkly ring that was plastic and slipped it onto Edward's finger. The gesture moved taller prostitute to tears. Her sniffling was loud and she blew her nose into a handkerchief. The shorter one was popping her gum, annoyed and not finding the ceremony anything more than a hindrance.

"We'll get better ones, promise." Roy whispered.

"I don't mind these." Edward whispered back, happy just to get married to him.

"With this ring.." The drunk Elvis started again, reciting the ring vows. They rattled through their ring vows with fierce smiles on their faces, not so much a rebellion against their parents and the world in general but a promise and determined sureness about their future, together.

"Edward Elric, do you take Roy Mustang to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do." Edward grinned.

"And do you, Roy Mustang, take Edward Elric to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do," Roy grabbed his hand.

Roy grabbing Edward's cheeks in his hands, rubbing them with his usual gentleness, something Edward rarely possessed but reveled in.

"You may kiss your-," And Roy did that, not waiting for the Elvis to finish because he was going far too slow, kissing Edward with a passionate connection of lips. His hands moved from Edward's freckled cheeks to the back of his neck to his hips, pulling him closer.

"Yeah." The Elvis finished lamely.

Edward groaned, not listening, pushing back until every part of his body aligned with the other and they fit perfectly together, hands tangling around his waist and across his back as he kissed him, growing dizzy and having to pull back and take a breath.

"Oh, so _BEAUTIFUL!,_" She rushed forward, pulling Flo with her and they both signed the marriage certificate with a flourish, leaving out the back door and back into the night to find another John. The newlyweds barely noticed.

"Okay, so the first dance," Elvis moved toward the DJ box, flipping it on and grabbing the microphone and Edward stared at him, unsure if he was actually going to do that or not. The King's voice started, and Roy relaxed, seeing that the Elvis imposter was going to lip synch.

_"..but I can't help falling in love with you.. like a river flows, surely to the sea, darling so it goes - some things are meant to be…"_

The fake Elvis lip-synced, a little off, and the lights dimmed a bit. Edward, already pinned against Roy, moving to sway and found his hand with his, entangling their fingers. Roy pressed his lips to the top of his head, pulling him a bit closer and slipping his arm around his waist, moving in time.

"I wouldn't change any of this for the world," He whispered into Edward's hair. "And I'm the romantic one."

"I love you." Edward whispered back, lips against Roy's neck as he rested his head against his shoulder, "It was perfect. In its own way." Edward smiled against Roy's periodic table tie as they swayed back and forth across the cheap plastic alter.

"Hmmm, I think I actually like this tie," Roy whispered. "Yours, however, we need to burn, Slowly, with the rest of your clothing. And then you are left in nothing more..."

"I like this tie." Edward sighed, but gave the other a wicked gleaming grin, liking that train of thought. He pressed a soft kiss, a promise, against Roy's neck as they twirled lazily.

Roy just gave a small grin, listening to the music, whispering the words gently into Edward's ear until the song ended.

"You ready to go?" he murmured softly, not letting go of him for a moment.

Edward really didn't want to move away from this moment. He pressed his face into Roy's chest, inhaling his musky scent and feeling Roy's hand rubbing along his spine gently for a long moment before Edward nodded, pulling away from the other and instantly abhorring the loss.

"You still have to sign the certificate." Elvis stated, putting away the microphone and then holding out his hand and a pen. Roy glanced at it, taking the pen and then digging in his pocket for a few minutes, pulling out bills and paying the man, then paying for the marriage license.

Roy looked down then, signing his name quickly and efficiently. He handed the pen over to Edward.

Edward bent over it, feeling like he was in a dream. At least, until he caught sight of his last name. Edward Mustang-Elric. Edward frowned, pen clenching in his hand.

"Why is my name last?" He asked dangerously calm. Roy seemed to sense to tension.

"That's just how they put it." He stated.

"Well change it."

"We can't _change_ it." Roy snapped, "Besides it looks good that way."

"Edward Mustang-Elric? That's just retarded." Edward bitched.

"But Roy Mustang-Elric is very easy to say." Roy frowned.

"I'm changing it."

"With what?" Roy laughed, "They're official papers!"

Edward glared at him, grabbing the pen and vigorously scribbling black ink over the Mustang-Elric in _Mr. and Mr. Edward and Roy Mustang-Elric_ and putting a carrot there scrawling Elric-Mustang. Roy gaped.

"What did you do?" Roy groaned, mourning the pristine typed font of their marriage certificate and knowing that their first marital fight would be soon - not realizing it would be almost three minutes after they said their vows.

"I fixed it." Edward grated out. "Deal with it, _you_ married me."

"You make it sound like-" Roy sighed, deciding it wasn't worth it, "Whatever. Roy Elric-Mustang, Roy Mustang-Elric, I don't care that much." Giving in because frankly he wanted to do other things tonight and at this rate Edward was going to be giving him the silent treatment.

"Good husband." Edward cooed, giving a bright smile. Roy rolled his eyes, but never-the-less took Edward's hand. Besides, he liked flaunting down the Strip hand-in-hand with his new husband and a fresh marriage certificate in one hand, plastic ring shining off of the neon signs. It would be lot harder to do that if Edward was pouting.

Roy watched as the lights flickered brighter as they passed. He glanced at Edward with a small, mischievous grin.

"So, the Luxor. You think that they let us use candles?"

"Doubt it." Edward snorted, "It'd set off the fire alarm."

They stumbled, drunk off each other, back up the elevator and to their room, Edward finding the petals spread out and the fake candles flickering and the scent of them actually burning in the air and grabbed the Lysol can and laughed. He wondered how much Roy had slipped a maid to pay her to do this for him during the wedding.

"You're crazy." He whispered, standing on tiptoes to kiss him.

"Get used to it, you married me," Roy just grinned, pushing Edward gently backwards toward the bed.

Edward snorted, finding out the rose petals were fake too. Not surprised, roses weren't cheap. Never the less the effect was made and Edward sat on the bed, kicking off his shoes and wanting nothing more than Roy right now - that dance leaving his breathless and wanting to kiss every inch of him.

He tugged his _husband's_ periodic table tie to pull him over the top of him, wrapping his jean-clad legs around his upper thighs and locking him into a blissfully giddy post-marital kiss that was different than any of their others.

"I love you." He whispered, kissing along the man's cheekbones, "I love that you're romantic, and that you got me fake rose petals, and your tie.." He kissed a new spot of his skin as if discovering it for the first time, "And the blue deep in your eyes..." He undid a button on Roy's shirt - the only one in Roy's entire clean wardrobe they had deemed as 'dressy', "And your beauty mark right.. here." He kissed the dark spot under the other's ear.

"And how you look at me when you think I'm sleeping in the car..." He grinned, lips spreading across the other's collarbone near the crook of his neck.


End file.
